


When Fighting Monsters

by strid



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Tragedy, Gen, Hokage Danzo, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2020-05-18 08:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19330939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strid/pseuds/strid
Summary: “You persecuted their clan, drove them from their home, killed their mother, and you think they want peace?”





	1. Overview: A Timeline

**Author's Note:**

> This story is, at its core, about the Uchiha brothers. It explores an AU where Danzo is made the Third Hokage instead of Hiruzen through multiple perspectives and a non-linear sequence of events that are, ultimately, all related. It’s a bit of an odd story, I think, but I hope it’s enjoyable.
> 
> Thanks for clicking!

**24 Hours Before**

“Nothing to report, sir.” Danzo Shimura looked up and briefly considered the Root member standing in front of him, then returned his gaze back to the document he was reading.

“That’s a shame,” he remarked, placing the page aside and grabbing another. The Root member didn’t reply.

The sun had nearly set when Danzo looked back up at the shinobi.

“Report to the others. Tell them to continue with the mission.” The Root member gave a sharp nod and disappeared. 

Danzo tried to continue reading once the ninja left, but soon found himself leaning back in his chair and gazing out over the Hidden Leaf Village.

“Such a shame,” he mumbled, looking beyond the bustling center of Konoha to the outskirts where the Uchiha clan resided. He was well aware that the village would initially take a large hit in productivity because of his choice. There would be questions asked, backlash from other clans, maybe a few protests. Not to mention there would be the issue of having to hire an entirely new police force and reassign all the missions currently tasked to Uchiha shinobi. But ultimately, Danzo knew that this was the only way to ensure the village’s future safety. The Uchiha clan could not be trusted, and it was his job as the Hokage to stop them before they completely destroyed the village.

He turned around and returned to his reading. He had made his decision; all he could do now was wait for it to be carried out.

• • •

**10 Years After**

Itachi Uchiha gazed up at the looming green gates of Konohagakure, a painful ache forming deep within his chest as his eyes tracked up to the leaf insignia carved above them. The wooden panels of the gates were decrepit, the concrete archways were cracked, and the paint was terribly faded. It was hardly a formidable showing, but Itachi knew that Konohagakure had never drawn its strength from walls or barriers. Its greatest weapon was the shinobi lying in wait inside, ready to lay down their lives to defend the village’s citizens against any given threat.

He had once been one of those shinobi. After all, Konoha had been his clan’s home for generations, so it was only natural that he would also dedicate his life to protecting it. Once upon a time, he had even dreamed of bringing peace to the village, of ensuring that no child would ever experience the atrocities of war and battle that he had.

He couldn’t help but think it was ironic that he was now the one marching an army up to its gates.

It had, in theory, been his brother’s idea. But nonetheless, Itachi had agreed and contributed to its execution. He told himself that they were justified, that they were merely here to retrieve what was stolen from them all those years ago. They were not here to start a war, to bring the village to its knees or burn it to the ground. They were here for recompense, and after that was given, he and his brother would leave Konohagakure behind and settle somewhere far enough away that it’s poisoned roots could never reach them again.

A strong hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. “Ready, brother?”

Itachi steeled his resolve with a deep breath and let the familiar sting of chakra collect behind his eyes. He may not be able to make the world a better place for Konoha and its people, but he could make it a better place for his brother. This was their birthright — they were Uchihas, and they were here to take back what was theirs. 

Itachi turned and locked eyes with his brother, Sharingan to Sharingan.

“I’m ready.”

• • •

**4 Hours Before**

Sasuke was fighting the urge to fidget when Iruka finally decided to dismiss the class. He had held them over for about twenty minutes, claiming that the lesson was too important to stop and finish after they came back from their holiday break. He had spent approximately five of those twenty minutes ranting about how he wouldn’t have to hold them after if someone (cue Naruto’s uncontrollable snicker) hadn’t interrupted the lesson by crumpling up the handouts and throwing them at various unsuspecting students. Sasuke himself had nearly been on the receiving end of one such attempt, but had neatly dodged it. This apparently triggered a large amount of frustration from the dunce, since he fired about twenty crumpled balls in rapid succession at Sasuke right after. While Sasuke ended up getting hit by about five of them, the stunt also led to Naruto getting caught by Iruka, so Sasuke couldn’t claim to be too upset about it.

Until Iruka forced them to stay after, that is.

Sasuke had been watching the clock for the entire class, desperate for it to end so he could finally get home and start the holiday break. For the first time that he could remember, no member of his clan had a mission assigned over the holiday. Itachi had been away last year, Shisui had been away the year before that, and the year before that his father and three other clan members had been absent for the celebration. But this year, they would all be together, and Sasuke could hardly wait. It would be the best holiday ever, he was sure of it.

So he figured it was reasonable to be a bit annoyed after finding out he had to wait even longer for the break to start because of the moron seated two rows behind him.

But now — now he was free, and he practically jumped out of his seat and ran towards the nearest exit in his excitement.

Unfortunately, he never made it out the door.

“Sasuke, can I talk to you for one moment?” The boy turned and nearly gaped at his teacher. Iruka had to be joking. What could he have possibly done that warranted him staying after even later? Iruka, however, merely smiled kindly at the child’s dumbfounded expression and waved him towards his desk.

Sasuke felt his shoulders slump and tried his best not to pout as he shuffled over to his expectant teacher, watching enviously as his classmates filed out of the classroom.

“Yes, Iruka Sensei?” he mumbled, staring at the floor in defeat. He looked up when he heard Iruka chuckle.

“I’m going to discuss it in depth with your parents after the holiday break, but I wanted to let you know that I’m recommending you for the graduation exam this year.” Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock, and he felt a smile beginning to form on his lips.

“Really?” Iruka nodded.

“I know you’ve only been at the Academy for a year, but I think you’re ready to take the next step and become a genin.” Sasuke’s face split into a grin. He wanted to jump, yell, maybe even dance — but most of all, he wanted to get home and tell his big brother the news.

He beamed up at Iruka. “Thank you, Iruka Sensei.” His teacher smiled and placed a hand on his head.

“You deserve it, Sasuke. You’ll be a fine shinobi.” Iruka glanced at the clock. “Now, get home and enjoy your holiday. I’ll see you back after the break and we’ll set up a meeting with your parents to discuss the details.” Sasuke nodded happily and ran out the door.

He knew it — this holiday was going to be extra special.

• • •

**6 Years After**

Jiraiya stared across at Naruto’s apartment. He’d been on watch for hours now. He was tired, his eyes stung, he had a raging headache, but he couldn’t risk abandoning his post and leaving the boy vulnerable, not when he knew that Danzo had his eyes on him.

Danzo, the jackass, was finally beginning to take the threat posed by the wayward Uchiha brothers seriously, something that Jiraiya had been urging him to do for the past two years. Jiraiya had been keeping track of the boys’ movement since they defected from the village, and their actions had only been becoming more and more alarming. Itachi appeared to be amassing a following, traveling from land to land and gathering any rogue shinobi who would join him. He had not been hard to follow: Jiraiya simply planted a few spies along Itachi’s path and had them join his entourage. He’d ordered them to observe and report back to him intermittently. Overall, the group seemed peaceful enough, but the growing number was becoming rather worrisome. 

Itachi, however, was not his main concern.

The younger brother, Sasuke, had practically fallen off the face of the Earth. He had been relatively easy to keep track of while he was with Orochimaru, but after he abandoned the Sannin, there were almost no sightings of the boy. This in and of itself would not have been problematic had Jiraiya not gotten a series of reports earlier remarking on how strong Sasuke had become within the past few years. His training under Orochimaru had apparently paid off, and there was no telling what he was capable of now. Thus, Jiraiya was particularly anxious about the fact that he had no idea where in the ever living hell the boy currently was, let alone what he was currently doing. Last he’d heard, the boy was heading West, but Jiraiya wasn’t entirely sure whether he believed that report. He imagined Sasuke would be looking to reunite with his brother, who was currently East. Jiraiya would soon find out whether his instincts were correct either way: if Sasuke was indeed headed towards his brother, they should end up crossing paths within the next few weeks based on his (very) rough timeline of Sasuke’s travels.

The brothers’ potential reunion seemed to be the piece of information that alarmed Danzo the most. He wasn’t concerned yet, but he was wary enough to start making preparations for if (or when, in Jiraiya’s opinion) the Uchihas decided to divert their attention toward the Hidden Leaf Village. Jiraiya had been relieved at the time to learn that his warnings were finally being taken seriously.

Until he realized that those preparations involved Naruto.

Jiraiya wasn’t sure why Danzo wanted Naruto. He knew it had to involve the Tailed Beast sealed inside him, but Jiraiya couldn’t figure out how Danzo intended to use it against the Uchiha brothers. His Root organization was seemingly impenetrable, so Jiraiya hadn’t been able to find out any relevant information regarding the matter.

All he knew was that regardless of what Danzo’s plans might be, they would not prioritize Naruto’s safety. Danzo would do anything to protect the village, and if that required hurting an innocent child, he would. The Uchiha incident proved it.

That was why Jiraiya had planted himself outside of Naruto’s apartment every night for the past week. Jiraiya would be damned if he let Danzo harm his late student’s son. There had to be another way to protect the village, a way that didn’t involve Naruto or any other innocent life.

Jiraiya just had to figure out what it was before Danzo got to the boy.

• • •

**3 Years After**

Kakashi looked at his team with utter disdain. He’d already been unimpressed with them after reading their Academy files, but somehow they were even more disappointing now that he was seeing them in person. Naruto Uzumaki was a loudmouth troublemaker, Sakura Haruno was an unmotivated teenager, and Sasuke Uchiha was talented but looked utterly bored and disinterested (he hadn’t looked up once since Kakashi arrived). Kakashi rolled his eyes to the heavens and took a deep, calming breath. It wasn’t like he officially had to deal with them for their entire genin careers, he reminded himself. They’d attempt the bell test, they’d fail to understand the concept, and he’d recommend that they be sent back to the Academy. Then he’d wipe his hands clean of them and wait to be assigned a new, equally uninspiring group next year. 

He sighed and looked back down at the kids, bracing himself for what would likely be a painful next few hours.

“Alright, why don’t we start with some introductions? Sakura, you go first.”

The pink haired girl stared at him, her eyes wide with apprehension.

“Uh, hi, my name is Sakura Haruno and I, uh, I...” She trailed off, and Kakashi watched as a flush appeared on her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow at her apparent anxiety. How this girl thought she could become a shinobi when she couldn’t even find the courage to introduce herself was beyond him.

Though, he supposed that’s what he was meant to help her with as her teacher.

He sighed again and took pity on the poor girl. “Go on. Likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, tell us anything.” The girl nodded vigorously.

“I, uh, I like...I mean who I like, uh...” She glanced at the Uchiha sitting beside her.

Fucking hell.

Kakashi had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Guess that’s what he got for trying to help.

“That was great. Okay, Naruto, you’re next.”

Something something ramen, something something Hokage. Kakashi was only half listening. He let the boy go on for ten minutes about whatever before finally stopping him.

“Fantastic, Naruto. Now how about you, Sasuke?”

Sasuke raised his head for the first time that day and looked at Kakashi, giving him a small smile.

“Hi, my name is Sasuke Uchiha and —”

Kakashi couldn’t claim to have heard the rest of what the boy said. He was far too busy staring intently at his new student’s face.

The boy sitting in front of him looked eerily like Sasuke Uchiha. He had the same dark hair, pale skin, and ebony eyes, but Kakashi had been on the surveillance team assigned to the Uchiha clan for nearly a year leading up to the incident. He knew what each member of that clan looked like down to their minuscule tattoos and odd birthmarks.

And the person sitting in front of him was not Sasuke Uchiha.

He cocked his head as he silently studied the boy, still not hearing a single word that was coming out of his mouth. No, he told himself, that had to be Sasuke Uchiha. Maybe he was wrong; he hadn’t laid eyes on the kid for three years after all. And he knew for a fact that Sasuke Uchiha had been in this genin class since he was eight. There was no way his classmates wouldn’t have noticed if Sasuke Uchiha was suddenly replaced by an imposter, right?

But maybe...they wouldn’t have. Kakashi vaguely remembered seeing a report after the incident stating that Sasuke Uchiha had taken a leave of absence from the Academy. The fact that he excelled in most areas coupled with a written recommendation from his teacher (who had abruptly been assigned to another class that year, Kakashi noted) allowed the boy to graduate with his classmates despite the long absence. Given the boy’s time away from his peers coupled with the amount kids’ appearances typically change between the ages of nine and twelve, Kakashi figured that it might have been possible for someone to surreptitiously replace the actual Sasuke Uchiha with the imposter sitting in front of him. At that point, only someone like him who had intently studied the boy’s face would have been able to tell the difference. And given how shutoff the Uchiha clan had been from the rest of the village, Kakashi couldn’t imagine that there were that many people besides him and his surveillance team who knew exactly what the boy looked like. The greatest obstacle would’ve been his Academy class, and a bunch of tweens would easily be fooled by this impersonator.

That, or this was actually Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi was just mildly losing his mind. Which also made sense, considering the man had only gotten around three hours of sleep within the past two days.

Kakashi was forced to break himself out of his conspiratorial trance once he realized ‘Sasuke’ had finished talking. He lifted himself off of the iron beam he’d been leaning against and smiled derisively at his new students.

“Well, seems like this will be interesting at the very least.”


	2. The Beginning, Theoretically (I)

Sasuke couldn’t remember the last time he’d been told a bedtime story. He thought it might have been when he was four, because Itachi was promoted to ANBU right after his fifth birthday and he distinctly remembered declaring that he “didn’t want to do any of that baby stuff anymore” after Itachi was sent out on his first black ops mission. Sasuke didn’t know the details of the operation (his brother refused to tell him no matter how many times he asked, his parents said it was classified, and Shisui pretended he didn’t know before changing the subject), but he imagined it was something fantastic, because everything Itachi did was fantastic to Sasuke at that age. He’d lie awake in bed imagining how his brother was probably single handedly defeating rogue ninja who were trying to infiltrate the Leaf and assassinate the Hokage, or maybe he was rescuing an important diplomat who had been kidnapped by hostile shinobi, or maybe he was sent out to retrieve a stolen scroll with a dangerous forbidden jutsu inside that could destroy the world. Sasuke’s imagination had no bounds when it came to the feats his brother was capable of achieving, and it was his dream to one day stand beside him as an equal so that they could safeguard their home together.

Unfortunately, according to five year old Sasuke, bedtime stories and tuck-ins were not conducive to reaching that goal. (He could still recall the way his mother’s face fell when he’d told her. Back then, he didn’t understand why she looked so sad all of a sudden; he thought she’d be proud of the fact that he wanted to stop being babied so he could be strong just like his brother. But the reality was that her eldest was away on an extremely dangerous mission and her youngest had just refused to give her the comfort of knowing she still had one child who hadn’t grown up yet.)

He rarely found himself missing the stories, though. His mother had never been particularly good at them, always having to pause the narrative because she forgot to mention some important piece of information at the beginning, and his father’s stories all involved blood and gore and would sometimes give Sasuke nightmares. But his uncle — his uncle told the best stories.

Uncle Teyaki was a strong, gentle man who smiled more often than he didn’t (or at least that’s how Sasuke remembered him). He had owned the Uchiha compound’s senbei shop with his wife Uruchi, a shop which also happened to be one of his mother’s favorite detours to make during an errand run. Sasuke was usually an unwilling participant during these trips (his mother would try and persuade him by saying that it would help him prepare for life after the Academy when he might get assigned important missions he didn’t necessarily want to do. It was training, she reasoned. However, she had a hard time convincing him that going out to get eggs qualified as “important”), but he wouldn’t lie: he always enjoyed getting to see his aunt and uncle. “We’ll only go in for a few minutes,” his mother would say. They never failed to end up staying for at least an hour.

His fondest memories of his aunt and uncle were when he went over their house to stay the night. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes his parents would be called on to make an appearance at some important gathering and Itachi and Shisui would be too busy to babysit him, so he would get handed off to them for the evening. His aunt always made sure there were fresh baked cookies for him when he arrived and his uncle always made sure there were plenty of games around to keep him entertained.

The best part of the visit, oddly enough, was when he had to go to bed. He’d put up a bit of a fight as a formality, claiming that he wasn’t tired and wanted to stay up just a bit later, but eventually his uncle would coax him into the guest room with the promise of a few bedtime stories. (Now that he thought about it, maybe he’d been a bit older the last time he was told a bedtime story. He couldn’t recall ever telling his uncle about the ban he’d put on bedtime stories in his own household, and his uncle never failed to tell him at least two when he put him to bed. Maybe he thought he could safely get away with indulging in them there.)

His uncle usually came up with new stories to tell him each time (“you’ll get bored if I keep telling you the same ones over and over again!”), but there was one that Sasuke would beg him to retell regardless.

The story went something like this:

“It happened on a night just like this one, actually (Sasuke had protested once that his uncle began the story like that regardless of the actual weather). You were too young to remember it, but on that night, a giant beast known as the Nine Tails was unleashed on the village. Its teeth were as big as you are, and it could crush an entire building with just one of its hands! No one knew where it came from or why it had suddenly appeared in our village. The Hokage didn’t even know what was going on, so that tells you right there how much of a a shock this all was! You can’t blame them, though. I mean, imagine: one second you’re eating dinner, and the next, a giant monster fox is tearing off your roof! Who would be prepared for that? (Sasuke always laughed at that part). Many brave shinobi fought against the Nine Tails that night, and many brave shinobi fell against it. The Fourth Hokage ended up being the one who finally sealed the beast away, but he didn’t do it alone. No, he had the help of another shinobi, one who has almost been completely forgotten. Do you know who that shinobi was? (“Who?” Sasuke would politely ask, even though he knew the answer). His name was Madara Uchiha. Yes, _the_ Madara Uchiha! You must be wondering, how the fuck — sorry son, excuse my language, let’s maybe not tell your mother about that little slip up, okay? — could Madara Uchiha have helped the Fourth Hokage defeat the Nine Tailed Fox? He founded Konoha for crying out loud, so he must be, what, a bajillion years old? That’s impossible! Except it wasn’t; he was there, I saw him myself! And he came to save us all, because he alone knew that the secret to defeating the Nine Tails was the Uchiha clan’s Sharingan. See, our eyes are special. Most people think the Sharingan is only good for casting illusions and copying jutsu, but it can do much more than that. It can summon fire out of thin air, mold chakra into armor, manipulate time itself. And it can also tame beasts. Madara knew that, and so he decided to risk his life and face the Nine Tails head on, trusting in the power of his Sharingan to subdue it. He arrived at the village just as the monster was forming its final chakra bomb. The bomb was huge, so huge that it blocked out the entire night sky! It would have destroyed the entire village had it been released. But Madara wouldn’t let that happen. No, he refused to stand aside and let the village he built get destroyed, not when he knew exactly how to stop it. He just needed to force the beast to look into his Sharingan. Madara sprinted to the center of the village, charging his legs with as much chakra as he physically could. He moved at the speed of light, jumping from roof to roof until he got close enough to launch himself at the demon’s face. He flung himself at the Nine Tails and released his most powerful jutsu at it. Which jutsu, you ask? Why, it was only the Uchiha’s very own Fireball Jutsu! The biggest blast of fire I’ve ever seen hit the monster right in the face, but it barely even singed its fur! You’d think Madara went up and poked it for all the good the jutsu did! But Madara knew that his jutsu wouldn’t hurt the Tailed Beast; that wasn’t his goal. He just needed to get its attention. And that’s exactly what happened! The Nine Tails turned its large, red eye towards Madara. Their eyes met and then...the demon froze. He was completely immobilized by the powers of Madara’s Sharingan. The Fourth Hokage saw what Madara had done and knew that it might be his only chance to seal away the beast. And at the cost of his own life, he did. But right before the deed was done, Madara vanished back into the night. He didn’t want to be hailed a hero like the Fourth; it was enough for him to know that his village was safe and that it was the power of the Sharingan that saved it.

So, do you know why I told you that story Sasuke? (He always shook his head no, because he loved hearing the answer). Because I want you to know that you come from greatness, boy. The Sharingan is our clan’s birthright, and while I know you don’t have it just yet, one day you will. And when that day comes, you will tame beasts.”

Sasuke knew that the entire story probably wasn’t true. His uncle had a remarkably creative imagination, so his tales were always littered with falsehoods. But Sasuke couldn’t care less now whether Madara Uchiha was actually alive or whether he came and saved the Leaf Village from the Nine Tails. No, the part of the story that stuck with him now was the way his uncle talked about the Sharingan. Because sitting alone in that white, sterile room, the door tightly locked and his cheeks wet with tears, he knew he needed to find a way to stay strong. So he told himself a bedtime story.

He was Sasuke Uchiha. He had the Sharingan. And with it, he would tame beasts.

• • •

At this point, Sasuke knew that ‘I don’t know’ wasn’t the right answer, but he couldn’t help but keep saying it.

“Where are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened to your family?”

“I don’t know.”

The routine was mind numbing. Every day (or at least Sasuke thought it was every day; there were no windows or clocks where they were keeping him and they fed him irregularly, so he wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed) a doctor with soft brown eyes and a kind smile would come in (Sasuke had tried to run past her and out the door the first few times) and ask him a series of questions, none of which he felt he could definitively answer. So, he told her that he didn’t know, because his mother had always told him it was important to be honest. And at the beginning, that had seemed fine.

But one day, the routine changed. A large man entered the room before the doctor, sweat leaking through his shirt as he carried a huge chair into the room, plopped it down right in front of Sasuke, and took a heavy seat. The man gave Sasuke a hesitant smile and asked if he had any questions about where he was and what had happened. This was the first time someone had offered Sasuke any information since he woke up there, and even though he didn’t particularly want to speak to the man (it’s like training, he reminded himself) he jumped on the chance to find out what was going on.

But then the man lied to him.

He started by placing a sweaty hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and telling him that this wasn’t an easy thing to say. He told Sasuke that this room was a safe space for him, that it was okay to get emotional, and that everyone here would do their best to help him cope. He offered to get Sasuke a box of tissues and a glass of water, but Sasuke merely continued staring at the man, hoping that he would get to the point faster because nothing he was saying made any sense and he desperately wanted to know why he was here and what had happened and where his family was so that he could go home.

Once the man realized that Sasuke had no intention of answering, he cleared his throat and said in a deep, gravely voice that he was in Konohagakure, he was safe, and that Itachi had killed his entire clan.

Sasuke promptly told him he was a big fat liar.

The man let out a nervous laugh, perhaps not quite expecting that reaction from the boy. “Listen,” he said, “I know this is difficult to understand and process, but I need you to believe me, Sasuke. The Hokage brought you here to keep you safe from your brother. He’s still out there somewhere, and we’re afraid he may come back for you. It’s imperative that you believe me, okay? It’s for your own safety.”

Sasuke then called the man a very bad word that his mother would’ve been ashamed to hear him use.

The man stared at him for a short while, then asked Sasuke if he had any more questions. Sasuke said he didn’t, because clearly the man wasn’t going to truthfully answer any of them. The man then asked if Sasuke wanted to talk about what had happened, and Sasuke said he didn’t, because he still didn’t _know_ what happened. All he knew was that the man in front of him was an enemy. Who else would try and convince him that his family had been killed by his own brother?

The man nodded once, then twice, and slowly made his way to his feet. “If you change your mind, let me know, okay?” Sasuke had petulantly turned away from the man by then and didn’t deign him with a response, instead choosing to re-evaluate possible escape routes.

The doctor stepped into the room a few moments later. She asked him the same questions she always did, and Sasuke answered the same way he always did, because it was the truth. But this time, at the very end of their session, she asked him a new question.

“Do you want to change any of your answers?” Sasuke at least knew how to respond to that.

“No.”

And then she left.

This continued for some time. The man would come into the room with his chair, try and explain to him what ‘happened,’ ask if Sasuke wanted to talk about it, and then leave once Sasuke threw a barrage of insults at him and demanded to be returned to his family. The doctor would then follow and ask him her standard questions, to which he replied the same way he always did.

It took a few sessions for him to realize the frustration building up in both the man and the doctor. The man started dropping his chair just a bit harder, grabbing Sasuke’s shoulder just a bit tighter, and leaving just a bit sooner. The doctor’s annoyance was harder to spot, but after awhile he noticed how her lips would gradually tighten and how a sharp lilt would sneak into her voice once she realized he was still giving her the same answers. Sasuke couldn’t understand why they were getting angry with him, though; he was telling the truth.

But apparently that’s not what they wanted to hear.

• • •

He woke up one morning crying and screaming, his Sharingan burning bright in his eyes.

That day, the doctor was his only visitor. She waited for him to tire himself out before she started asking her questions.

“Where are you?”

“Konohagakure.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because Itachi wants me dead.”

“What happened to your family?”

“Itachi killed them.”

“Do you want to change any of your answers?”

“No.”

Because he knew it was the truth; he remembered everything now.

• • •

A few days later, he woke up in a different room. This time, there were windows.


	3. Six Years After (I)

Normally, Jiraiya would say that he hated these meetings. They were long, boring, and required him to be disgustingly respectful to a man he absolutely couldn’t stand. However, in recent weeks, things had changed.

They managed to become even more unbearable.

But despite his strong desire to do literally anything else, Jiraiya was first and foremost a loyal Leaf shinobi. So he bucked up, dragged himself to the Hokage’s office, and fought the urge to roll his eyes as Danzo asked him his new favorite question.

“Anything new to report on the Uchihas?” 

Jiraiya could skin him. The _fucking_ Uchihas were Danzo’s new favorite discussion topic ever since Jiraiya initially reported his suspicion that the two might cross paths. Now, every time he set foot into the man’s office Danzo would inevitably ask Jiraiya to update him on the brothers’ whereabouts.

Jiraiya would admit that, at first, this had pleased him greatly. Since this was the closest he ever expected to get in terms of Danzo admitting he was wrong, Jiraiya couldn’t help but be a bit smug and relish giving his first few reports on the brothers.

Then Danzo got obsessive.

The reports went from biweekly occurrences to Jiraiya being summoned every few days to give updates on the boys. No longer satisfied by general news, Danzo required Jiraiya to debrief him on every detail regarding the boys’ travels, regardless of how insignificant those details might be. He’d once even thrown a shit fit because Jiraiya couldn’t definitively say whether Itachi Uchiha had eaten breakfast one morning.

At that point, Jiraiya started getting a bit annoyed.

And as the weeks passed, he started getting very annoyed.

And now he was thoroughly beyond annoyed and found himself weighing the merits of punching Danzo in his stupid fucking face.

Jiraiya sighed.

Maybe one day.

But today, he took a breath, straightened his posture, and gave Danzo his damn report.

“Nothing of immediate interest, Lord Third. Itachi Uchiha is still traveling eastward through the Land of Lightning. His group still begins moving at sunrise and halts two times a day, once in the afternoon and once at sundown to make camp for the night. He still sends out four groups of five people in the cardinal directions to hunt and gather food for the caravan as they walk, and his food reserves have almost been completely replenished. He still remains at the front of the group while they travel and positions the stronger members on the outside of the pack so that they surround the weaker members. He still sends out scouts intermittently, but typically only before he has the group stop moving. He has only added two more bodies, one male and one female, to his group since my last report. The girl goes by the name Ami and the male goes by the name Ryuji. I’ve been told by my sources that the new individuals are not shinobi and pose no serious threat, but I am still working on verifying their identities to ensure that is true.” Danzo tapped his fingers against his cane and nodded.

“And the younger brother?”

Shit. Jiraiya hated this part.

He rolled his shoulders back and braced himself for the coming reprimand.

“Sasuke Uchiha’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

Jiraiya watched as Danzo’s jaw tightened.

“And why are his whereabouts still unknown?”

“Well, Lord Third, the boy has spent the past two years with Orochimaru. He likely learned a bit about keeping a low profile from him.” Danzo leveled a flat stare at him.

“So you’re telling me a fifteen year old child is skilled enough to evade the Leaf Village’s top intelligence agent?” Jiraiya felt his eye twitch.

“I’m telling you that Sasuke Uchiha has yet to encounter any of my sources, yes. One thought they saw him traveling West out of the Sound Village two months ago, but the report remains unconfirmed and there have been no further sightings to verify it. If Sasuke Uchiha was heading East towards his brother, however, he certainly would have come across him within the past two weeks. Which leads me to think that he must have actually been traveling West, like the report said.”

Danzo rapped his cane hard against the floor.

“But you still don’t know where he is now, which is the entire problem. And what, may I ask, have you been doing to _remedy_ that?” he demanded through gritted teeth. “I’ve gotten the same report from you for two months. I could forgive you waiting around to see if the boy would eventually turn up for the first few weeks, but at this point, I’m finding myself questioning your intelligence gathering skills.”

Jiraiya took a deep breath and started a short mantra in his head. _Killing the Hokage would not be beneficial, killing the Hokage would not be beneficial, killing the Hokage would not be beneficial..._

He gave Danzo a nonchalant grin. “You are certainly entitled to think that, Lord Third,” he ground out. “However, you won’t find anyone else with a larger intelligence network than me. I assure you, I am doing everything within my capabilities to find the boy.” Danzo grimaced.

“I want him found before he meets with his brother, is that understood?” Jiraiya gave Danzo a sagely nod.

“Of course, Lord Third. I will continue to work on locating Sasuke Uchiha.” Danzo continued to stare at Jiraiya with disdain. But then his lips quirked up into a smile.

“Question, Jiraiya: have you yourself gone out to locate the boy?” Jiraiya looked at Danzo warily.

“No, Lord Third, I haven’t.” Danzo nodded as Jiraiya spoke, cleary already expecting the answer.

“Let’s try that, then. You’ll set out tomorrow to find Sasuke Uchiha.” Jiraiya felt ice flood his veins.

If he left the village, then Naruto would be defenseless against Danzo.

Fuck.

Danzo seemed to take his silence as confirmation and waved his hand at him.

“It’s settled, then. If there’s nothing else you’d like to report, you are dismissed.”

Jiraiya bowed his head and turned to leave, feeling numb. He now had a new mantra going through his head.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck _fuck_...

• • •

Jiraiya knew there were a multitude of ways he could have gotten into the apartment. He had a spare key to it in his own house, so he could’ve unlocked the door. He also knew the kid left his window open, so he also very easily could have jumped up to the roof and come in that way. Hell, he even could have just knocked.

But there was something so satisfying about seeing Naruto nearly jump out of his skin as he kicked in his apartment door. And this time, he’d even dropped his ramen.

“Get ready kid, we’re going traveling!” Naruto stared at him with his mouth hanging open.

“What the hell, Pervy Sage?!” Jiraiya had to stop himself from covering his ears. Fuck, the kid was loud. 

Naruto started gesturing wildly, first to his ramen lying on the floor and then to his broken front door. “You made me drop my ramen and you broke down my door _again _! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Jiraiya gave the kid a shit-eating grin.__

____

____

“How fast can you be packed and ready to leave?” Naruto was kneeling on the ground grumbling, trying to scoop the ramen back into the container.

“Leave where? I have a mission in a few days.” Jiraiya shook his head.

“Not anymore. I personally had you taken off it so that you could come with me!” Naruto looked up at him.

“Where are we going?” Jiraiya frowned at the boy.

“You could try and at least sound a _little_ more enthusiastic. I have some things to go take care of outside the Land of Fire, and I figured I could also use the time to train you a bit more. But if you don’t want to come,” Jiraiya shrugged, feigning indifference, and walked towards the door.

“W-wait, I’ll come!” Jiraiya smirked. The kid was too easy.

“Perfect!” He turned back around. “We’re leaving tomorrow, so pack your bags and I’ll see you at the village gates right before sunrise!” Jiraiya motioned toward Naruto’s broken door. “I’ll also get someone here to fix that.” As Naruto opened his mouth to argue, Jiraiya gave the boy a cheeky wave and disappeared.

Reappearing on the roof of the apartment building across the street, he listened to the boy belatedly curse him out. He smiled as he settled down and kicked his legs up, scanning the area for any repressed chakra signatures.

He was getting this kid the fuck out of here if it killed him. 

• • •

Jiraiya had considered asking Danzo permission, even though he knew the request was a long shot. After all, he saw firsthand how closely Danzo was keeping an eye on Naruto. And while he did let the boy occasionally leave the village for missions (probably because it was too suspicious to not let him), they were close to Konoha and involved little risk. Jiraiya also knew that Danzo always had one of his Root members tail Naruto in case something went wrong, so he wasn’t optimistic about Danzo letting him single-handedly drag Naruto across multiple countries while he hunted for a man considered a threat to the village.

That’s why Jiraiya had decided to just...not ask.

He figured he’d be able to get away with it. Officially, he had no idea that Danzo was watching the boy and wanted him to stay within the village walls, so he could easily feign ignorance about the matter. Additionally, there was already a precedent for Jiraiya taking Naruto on his travels, so it wasn’t unreasonable for Jiraiya to assume he could also take him on this one. And, since Naruto wasn’t meant to know he was being watched, Jiraiya couldn’t imagine Danzo would risk alerting the boy by sending someone to retrieve him after they’d already left the village.

It wasn’t foolproof, Jiraiya knew, and there would be plenty of consequences to deal with when he got back, but he thought it was better than acquiescing and leaving Naruto in the village to fend for himself.

Now he just needed the little shit to hurry the fuck up so he wouldn’t get caught before they even had a chance to leave.

Jiraiya stifled a groan as he inconspicuously followed Naruto through the village. He wanted nothing more than to scream at the boy, tell him to pick up the pace before Danzo’s men realized he was leaving and somehow tried to stop him.

Fuck, he wished he would’ve just taken Naruto and left last night. He’d thought that would look too suspicious, though, and had figured that as long as he cleared the area and made sure Naruto wasn’t being followed, they could get out of the village before the guards showed up at the gates in the morning and be home free. Hence why he didn’t want to rush the boy, because that in and of itself looked suspicious as shit.

But as he watched Naruto bend down to pet a cat for the _second_ time, all he could think about was how pissed he was going to be if Danzo caught them because he waited too long to leave.

Jiraiya was nearly vibrating with energy when the village gates finally came into view. He watched as Naruto meandered his way up to them and nearly sagged in relief. He could barely believe it; this was going to work. They were actually going to get out of the village.

Then he caught sight of the shadowed figure hiding near the gates.

Fucking hell.

He was going to be pissed.


	4. Three Years After (I)

Someone, somewhere, thought that Kakashi Hatake was a fucking moron.

He figured that whoever made the decision had to have weighed the risks. He guessed that they had two options: either raise suspicion among the lower ranks by not placing the Uchiha on a team with the only Sharingan user in the village, or wager that Kakashi, despite his involvement with the Uchiha clan, wouldn’t realize that they’d stuck him with a completely different kid and blow their entire operation before Kakashi inevitably failed the team and sent them back to the Academy. And someone had thought that Kakashi was the better bet.

That dumb fucker.

Kakashi wasn’t used to being underestimated. Sure, he might be a bit lazy and he had a bad habit of being late, but he only got away with all that shit because he was _good_. And given that no one but a high ranking official could get away with this stunt, that meant that the decision to go forward with putting this Sasuke on Kakashi’s team came from someone who knew just how _good_ Kakashi was. And they’d _still_ thought that the chances of Kakashi noticing were lower than some dumbass chunin potentially asking too many questions about why some kid they didn’t care about wasn’t on a team with some adult they _also_ didn’t care about. Kakashi couldn’t help but be mildly (very) insulted by it all.

He stood contemplating all of this on the outskirts of the Third Training Ground, waiting for his dumbass students to attack the clone he’d placed in the middle of the field in order to try and get the bells. For once, he was too agitated to read during the exercise, so he was left glowering in the tree branches, alone with his thoughts. He just hoped that the assholes would hurry up and fail so he could fucking leave and go home.

He was pulled out of his reverie when he saw a blur of motion to the left of his clone. Naruto was rushing in to attack at full speed, yelling while he did so.

So, the kid was actually stupid. Surprise, surprise.

Kakashi watched as his clone easily sidestepped the attack, grabbing Naruto by the wrist and swinging him across the field.

“You’ll have to try harder than that,” the clone called out to the boy’s crumpled form. Kakashi sighed, underwhelmed by the performance thus far. 

And that was when he saw Sasuke break out from the tree line and go straight for his clone.

This piqued Kakashi’s interest. Imposter or not, he found himself impressed with the boy’s forethought to attack so soon after Naruto’s attempt. It wasn’t teamwork per say, but the boy at least saw the value in having a teammate there to distract the enemy. Kakashi watched in vague amusement as his clone evaded Sasuke’s ambush and tossed him aside.

Naruto stood up and readied himself for another attack. Kakashi cocked his head as he watched the boy rush his clone from behind, forcing it to jump out of the way. Maybe the boy wasn’t so stupid after all; he’d clearly been able to see the value in the quick counter attack Sasuke had tried and was able to apply it to his own strategy. Still not teamwork, but at least Kakashi wasn’t bored watching them anymore.

But then, as Kakashi’s clone was still midair, Sasuke threw a barrage of shuriken at it.

Which, Kakashi dared say, _almost_ seemed like teamwork.

Then, while his clone was distracted by Sasuke, Naruto launched his own attack at it.

Huh.

Now that had _really_ seemed like teamwork.

Kakashi was very, very still for a moment. Then he shrugged, laughing to himself. Regardless if the boys were working together, Kakashi would still fail them all on principle. After all, they were in a _three_ man squad, not a two man team.

So, where was the little pinkette, Kakashi wondered. She surely couldn’t be happy about the boys leaving her out and attacking by themselves.

He spotted her near a large tree near the edge of the field, rummaging through the underbrush. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve said that it looked like she was setting up a trap.

He glanced back at the boys and their carefully timed attacks and felt his jaw drop when he noticed that they were driving his clone in Sakura’s direction.

Holy shit. They were trying to draw his clone into a trap. Holy shit. _Holy shit_.

They understood the exercise.

Kakashi was at full attention now, cursing under his breath.

Those motherfuckers.

• • •

So, apparently, _they_ hadn’t understood the exercise. ‘Sasuke’ did. And he was the one that came up with their entire strategy.

Kakashi was calling bullshit.

Not to his new students’ faces, of course. As far as they were concerned, he was extremely pleased to find a group of genin who had finally understood the bell test. Unbeknownst to them, he’d strongly considered pretending that team work had nothing to do with the exercise and failing them all because they had not actually retrieved the bells. That had felt like dishonoring Minato Sensei, though, and, despite all the things Kakashi was, he was not dishonorable.

Unfortunately. Because that meant that he now had to deal with these fucks for quite awhile. It also meant that he had to confront this fake Sasuke Uchiha problem, because he was wholly convinced that this kid wasn’t Sasuke.

Now Kakashi, despite his better judgement, had kindly offered to take his new team out to lunch after the test. Naruto had jumped at the offer, begging for Kakashi to let them get ramen; Sakura had pretended to seem nonchalant about it, but he could see that she was just itching to spend more time with the Uchiha; and Sasuke seemed content to spend his afternoon with everyone. Kakashi didn’t care where they went, so he let Naruto lead the way to the ramen shop. He really just wanted the opportunity to question the Uchiha.

“So, Sasuke,” Kakashi began, strolling besides Sasuke and Sakura. “You’ve been away from the village for three years, isn’t that right?” He watched the boy vigilantly as he answered.

“Yeah. I’ve been back for a few weeks now.” Kakashi nodded, pretending to mull over his answer.

“I have to imagine it’s been a bit hard acclimating after so much time has passed, right?” Sasuke shrugged.

“It’s not too bad. Everything’s pretty much the same as when I left. The Hokage letting me graduate with my classmates has certainly helped, though.” He shot Sakura a quick smile, and Kakashi watched in horror as the girl nearly fainted from the attention. 

“Where were you, anyway?” Naruto asked, slowing his frantic pace to join the conversation. Sakura nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Yeah, Sasuke, you never told us where you were!” Kakashi thanked his lucky stars that his students weren’t completely useless. It would feel like a considerably more natural conversation if he wasn’t the only one asking questions.

The Uchiha smiled at both his teammates. “I was at an outpost outside the village.” Naruto squinted at the boy.

“Why?” Kakashi watched Sasuke’s disposition change completely. He curled in on himself slightly, and the smile fell from his face.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” he mumbled. Kakashi pursed his lips. Shit, that wasn’t a bad defense. The Uchiha incident would obviously be a touchy subject, and since Sasuke’s leaving was clearly connected to it, the boy had a free pass to clam up if someone started asking too many question about why he’d been gone.

“Well,” Sakura broke in with an awkward laugh, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Kakashi tuned her out as she began prattling on about something he had absolutely no interest in.

An outpost outside of the village. It wasn’t a lot of information, but it was something. And if that was the story they were going with, then the results of the bell test made even less sense. If Sasuke Uchiha was kept at an outpost for three years, it would’ve had to have been for his own protection; Kakashi couldn’t figure out another reason that would make practical sense. But if that was the case, then that would mean there only would have been a select number of people who were deemed worthy enough to know about his whereabouts. Of those people, Kakashi couldn’t imagine that Sasuke was ever in contact with more than a few of them, meaning he certainly wasn’t in contact with anyone his own age. And since Kakashi knew for a fact that Sasuke Uchiha’s lowest grades at the Academy were teamwork and participation, he was calling bullshit on the kid miraculously becoming Mr. Team Player after being stuck at that outpost for three years.

Additionally, having fake Sasuke Uchiha pass Kakashi’s test _really_ made no sense. If anything, the fake Sasuke’s objective should have been to fail the test so that he could get out from under Kakashi’s scrutiny as fast as possible. Unless the fake Sasuke had thought that the objective of the test was to actually get the bells. Then he might have just figured that he’d graciously give them to Naruto and Sakura and forfeit his spot on the team.

Kakashi shook his head. No, that wouldn’t make sense either. The people at the head of this would’ve done their due diligence. They knew how the bell test worked, and they let the fake Sasuke in on the secret before they put him on Kakashi’s team. They wanted the boy to pass, but Kakashi couldn’t figure out why.

“Ramen!” Kakashi felt a headache beginning to form as Naruto sprinted to the stall at the end of the street.

Fuck, he really should’ve just failed them.

• • •

Out of all the things Kakashi currently was, obsessed wasn’t one of them.

He was just very, very focused on this one thing. That one thing being the fake Sasuke Uchiha, of course.

Kakashi felt like he was losing his mind. The kid wouldn’t give up any more details about his time away, sticking to one word answers or straight silence whenever someone tried to ask about it. Seeing that he wasn’t going to get any information from the source, Kakashi turned to the boy’s files, desperate to find out what in the ever living fuck was going on.

And, unsurprisingly, there was absolutely nothing there.

There were no pictures of him, no reports, no anything. The only things in his file were the paperwork enrolling him in the academy, his report cards, the leave of absence slip, and the waiver the Hokage had signed for his early graduation.

Kakashi didn’t know what he’d hoped to find, but he would’ve been happy if he’d at least found something that was more specific than an “outpost outside of the village.” But, since that was all Kakashi had to work with at the moment, he was forced to go along with it.

Kakashi knew that there were six main outposts surrounding the village. He couldn’t imagine that Sasuke had actually been placed in one of those, though, since their locations were hardly top secret. If Sasuke Uchiha had actually been staying at a village outpost for three years, it would’ve had to have been a smaller one that only a select few people knew about. Hell, they might’ve even gone so far as to build the kid his own. But Kakashi was sure that some outpost with a record of Sasuke Uchiha existed regardless of whether he had actually stayed there or not. You can’t replace a kid and then have absolutely no evidence supporting your story, after all.

That conviction was what led him to the building that stored Konoha’s top secret files. He didn’t have the clearance to officially access it since he was no longer ANBU, so he was stuck standing outside, seriously considering the merits of breaking in. 

He was on his third round of pros and cons when a masked man approached him.

“Kakashi Hatake, the Hokage would like to see you in his office.”

• • •

The someone, somewhere that thought Kakashi Hatake was a fucking moron was apparently the Hokage. Except he didn’t think Kakashi was a moron, he just knew Kakashi would take the bait. Which, incidentally, made Kakashi feel like a moron.

“I do apologize for having to bring you here like this,” Danzo said, leaning back in his chair. “I would’ve liked to have had you formally briefed from the start, but you understand how risky that would have been for the operation. The only way I could justify your involvement was if you started asking questions.” Danzo made a grand gesture with his arm. “And, lo and behold, here you are.”

Kakashi remained standing at attention, still not completely sure whether he was in deep shit or not. Danzo seemed to notice.

“We can skip the pretenses, Kakashi,” he sighed. “Ask me about Sasuke Uchiha.” Kakashi stared at the Hokage blankly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lord Third. I have no questions regarding the boy.” Danzo looked at him, a bored expression on his face.

“The boy has told me that you’re very interested in his time away from the village. He says you ask him about it practically every time you see him.” Kakashi mulled that over.

“If that’s the case, Lord Third, I do have one question regarding the boy.” Danzo tilted his head up, expectant. “Why is Sasuke Uchiha reporting to you?”

Danzo smiled.

“I have a mission for you, Kakashi.”

• • •

It was ludicrous. Absolutely fucking ludicrous.

Two bright Sharingan stared back at him. The boy they belonged to had fallen into a defensive stance, the glass of water he’d been drinking left shattered on the floor.

“Who the hell are you?” the kid growled out. His voice was deeper, Kakashi noted. He also looked to be about five centimeters shorter than his Sasuke, and his hair was far more unkempt.

Kakashi watched impassively as the kid repeated his question, then charged at him seconds after asking it, barely even seeing if Kakashi was willing to deign him with an answer. He silently added impatient and impulsive to his growing list of observations regarding the child.

Kakashi held up his arm in defense as the kid reared back and threw a punch straight at Kakashi’s head. He quickly grabbed hold of the boy’s hand.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Kakashi said calmly. “I’m just here — “ The kid cocked back his leg and aimed a kick at Kakashi’s side.

Kakashi made a minor adjustment to his list of observations: the boy was _very_ impatient and impulsive.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the kid’s pigheadedness and delivered a sharp kick to his midsection, sending him flying straight into the soft embrace of his dining room table. He watched with mild intrigue as the boy fought to sit up around the splintered wood and put up his arms in what he hoped would be perceived as a peaceful gesture.

“Listen, the Hokage sent me to — “ The kid stood up and threw himself at Kakashi for another attack. Kakashi sighed and raised a hand to his forehead protector. “Maybe this will convince you?” he drawled.

The kid stopped dead in his tracks, his outstretched hand millimeters away from Kakashi’s throat and his eyes wide as he looked into Kakashi’s Sharingan. Kakashi counted his breaths — _one, two, three, four_ — before the boy finally spoke.

“You’re not an Uchiha,” he mumbled to himself, withdrawing his hand. Kakashi nodded.

“I’m not,” he agreed. The boy was taking shallow breaths, his gaze intently trained on Kakashi’s eye.

“You’re Kakashi Hatake,” he stated, realization dawning on him.

“And you’re Sasuke Uchiha,” Kakashi held out a hand. “Nice to meet you.” Sasuke didn’t move to acknowledge the greeting.

“My brother told me about you when I was little.” His voice was only a whisper now. “He said that an Uchiha gave you that eye as a gift before he died.” Kakashi had to conceal his surprise as he looked down at the boy. He hadn’t expected the kid to know how he got his Sharingan.

Sasuke suddenly tore his focus away from Kakashi’s eye and glared at him.

“The clan hated you for it,” he said, venom dripping from every word. “They all said you had no right to that eye since you weren’t an Uchiha.” Kakashi stared at the boy, pulling his forehead protector back down.

“I don’t have any right to it,” he acknowledged. He heard the boy’s knuckles crack as he pulled his hands into tight fists.

“Get out,” Sasuke demanded, turning around and stalking towards the back of the room. “I don’t care why you’re here or who sent you. Just get out.” Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and moved towards Sasuke’s couch.

“That’s not an option,” he said, falling into the cushions. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “The Hokage ordered me here to train your Sharingan. I can’t disobey a direct command.” He listened as Sasuke’s footsteps halted. 

“I don’t need an outsider like you to help me with my Sharingan,” the boy snarled. Kakashi cracked open an eye and peered over at Sasuke’s enraged form.

“You have any other options?” Kakashi watched as a look of pure devastation crossed the boy’s face. Sasuke quickly turned his back to him and Kakashi grimaced; that had maybe been a bit too harsh.

“Get out.” 

Kakashi sighed and stared up at the pristine white ceiling. _This is going well,_ he thought to himself. 

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi said, trying a different tactic. “That was untoward of me. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Kakashi watched Sasuke for any slight movement, but the boy was as still as a rock. Kakashi decided to try his luck and push a little further. “I really am just here to help you, though. The Hokage told me that you’ve had your Sharingan for a few years now but haven’t had the right teacher to properly develop it. And I know I’m not an Uchiha, but give me a chance.” Kakashi’s eye crinkled as he smiled. “It may not be my birthright, but it is yours, and you deserve to learn how to properly wield it. So, what do you say?”

Minutes of tense silence passed. When Sasuke eventually looked over his shoulder at him, Kakashi was convinced he’d finally gotten the boy to acquiesce. 

“Get out.” And with that, Sasuke Uchiha threw open the back door and left.

Kakashi scowled. 

He _really_ should’ve just failed them.


	5. Aside (I)

**Two Years After, About**

It was dark where they were keeping him. Dark and damp and cold, cold, cold, cold...

Except, it wasn’t. It was bright — yes. It was bright, bright, bright and warm and wonderful because he was not here, not really. If he was _here_ he could not be _there_ , and it was imperative that he be _there_. So, no, it was not dark. He was in a wide bright room, with windows and furniture and the sun was shining on his face and he was— 

Cold. He was so, so cold.

Not cold. He was not cold. He _could not_ be cold. He was warm. Oh, so warm. Sunlight fell over his entire body, absorbing into his skin and sinking into his bones and burning away at his organs until his insides were ash and— 

A noise. Footsteps. The door opened and — _yes_ — blessed light poured in. But it didn’t reach him; it never reached him here. Except it always reached him, because he was not here, not really. And _there_ , the light was always around.

He stared at the floor because he was not supposed to know the man at the door was here. In fact, the door had never even opened, because there was no door. Nothing was here. He wasn’t even here. Because if he was here he couldn’t be there, and they needed him to be there, not here.

But today, today he was here more than he ought to be. He was not supposed to be here at all, but he was because the stale air was scratching at his lungs and he couldn’t feel his toes and he was cold, cold, cold— 

The man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room. He went along silently because what else was a boy who was not here meant to do? The only option, he knew, was to quietly pad alongside the man into the light. He didn’t shut his eyes against the brightness — he knew not to do that, now — since his eyes surely needed no time to adjust. After all, why would the light be bothersome when he had never, in fact, been in the dark to begin with?

He was brought down the hallway to a room. This room was cold, and he could say that because he was allowed to be here; they had told him so. He didn’t like it here very much. The chairs were uncomfortable and the table was sharp and the walls were too white and shiny. He liked it _there_ much better, but since here was technically an extension of _there_ , he guessed he couldn’t complain.

The man left and was replaced by a kind looking woman holding a bright blue book. She entered the room silently and took a seat, motioning him towards the chair on the opposite side of the table with a small smile.

“Hello, Sasuke,” she said once he settled into the seat, the smile still shining on her face. “How have you been since I last saw you?” He kept his face composed and met her gaze confidently.

“I have been very well, ma’am, thank you.” She nodded, writing down something in her book.

“And how have you been spending your time? Training, I hope?” He gave her a smile — he knew that’s what he was expected to do — followed by a soft chuckle.

“Of course, ma’am. The instructors you’ve provided are still giving me daily lessons. They seem very pleased with my progress so far.” The woman’s smile grew larger.

“And what is it you’ve been learning?”

“This week we’ve been going over chakra control. They’ve also started reviewing the transformation jutsu with me in preparation for graduation.” The woman laughed.

“Graduation is still a year away, you know!” He smiled kindly in return.

“Of course, of course. It certainly doesn’t hurt to be well prepared though, right?”

“No, it certainly doesn’t,” she agreed, making another note in her book. “And the Sharingan?” He shook his head.

“I’ve not awakened it, ma’am.” She nodded, biting the end of her pen thoughtfully.

“That’s not unexpected,” she reasoned, bringing her hand back down. “Only some members of the Uchiha clan end up with the Sharingan. You not having it is of little concern.”

“I agree.” The woman gave him another warm smile.

“Of course you do.”

• • •

Sasuke. Sasuke, Sasuke. Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.

The name felt weird in his mouth. No matter how many times he said it, or how many hours or days or weeks or months he forced himself to stay in Sasuke Uchiha’s skin, there was something about the name that his mind refused to recognize as familiar. It was a foreign object on his tongue, an unwelcome presence in his brain, and though he had trained himself to respond to it unconditionally, he could not bring himself to embrace it as his own.

But now, now it was the only name he had. And even though every last one of his cells wanted to reject it, he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to remain here, or there, or anywhere.

So, he was Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke. 

Sasuke Uchiha, tragic circumstances aside, had a relatively nice life. He was born on July 23 to two adoring parents: Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. Fugaku was strict but kind, and Mikoto was loving but overbearing. He even had an older brother, Itachi, who he used to idolize...

...he wondered what it was like to have a real older brother, sometimes.

Except, no, he didn’t. He did have a real older brother because he was Sasuke Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha had a brother five years older than him named Itachi. He couldn’t forget that.

Sasuke spent most of his childhood with his family and clan in the Uchiha compound at the outskirts of the village. When he turned eight, he enrolled in the Academy. He didn’t have many friends there, but his grades were good and he was well liked by most of the other students. He’d had a few minor confrontations with a boy named Naruto Uzumaki, but beyond those interactions, the two barely spoke.

Then, after a year, the incident happened: his beloved older brother Itachi slaughtered his entire clan in a single night. Sasuke was left alive, albeit in critical condition. He was removed from the Academy immediately and brought to a secure outpost outside of the village for treatment and protection. There, he was nursed back to health. It took him over a year to fully recover.

By then, the Hokage had determined that Itachi was still a threat to him. He was ordered to remain at the outpost for the foreseeable future but was permitted to continue his shinobi studies. Instructors visited him daily and guided him in lessons, teaching him subjects that ranged from village history to advanced ninjutsu theory. The material surpassed what was taught at the Academy, which was fine for Sasuke since he already considered the Academy work easy.

He was allowed to go outside and train, so long as he remained within the chakra barrier that had been erected around the outpost. He didn’t know what would happen if he attempted to slip past it; he never tried. After all, he was safe there. The Uchiha had no reason to leave.

But, unfortunately, now he had to.

Itachi Uchiha, while still a threat, had taken no considerable action against Konoha in recent months. So the Hokage had begun proceedings to bring Sasuke Uchiha back into the village center and have him continue on his path to becoming a shinobi.

And that was why he had to be _there_ and not _here_ , in this dark, damp room. After all, Sasuke Uchiha had never set foot in this place. And if he was going to convince everyone that _he_ was Sasuke Uchiha, he needed to make himself believe that he had never set foot here, either.

• • •

**Three Years After, Almost**

The night before he was brought into the village, Lord Danzo visited him.

No — not Lord Danzo, he chided himself. He could no longer address the man as Lord Danzo because Sasuke Uchiha knew him only as the Hokage. So, no, Lord Danzo did not visit him. The Hokage did.

He was taken from his room that wasn’t really his room because it didn’t really exist in the middle of the night. The man that wasn’t really there had come in, grabbed him, and dragged his half-conscious body to the white room down the hallway. The man haphazardly led him to one of the uncomfortable chairs, sat him down, and left.

A few minutes later, the Hokage came in.

He did his best to wake himself up and look alert as the Hokage circled him, scrutinizing his appearance. After three loops, Lord Third stopped and stood in front of him, continuing to drag is gaze over ever square inch of his body.

“Hello, Sasuke.”

“Lord Third.” He dipped his head in respect, because that was how he imagined Sasuke Uchiha would have greeted the Hokage had he been visited by him suddenly.

“I wanted to come and see you before tomorrow. To make sure that you’re properly prepared.” He looked back up, feeling a dull panic beginning to build in his chest.

This was his final test, then. To see if he could really pass as Sasuke Uchiha. And if he failed —

No. He wouldn’t fail. He _couldn’t_ fail because he _was_ Sasuke Uchiha, and how could he fail at being himself?

He pushed the panic bubbling up in his throat down, down, down.

“That’s very kind of you, Lord Third. It will be quite a change, but I’m ready to restart my life in the village as a Leaf shinobi.” The Hokage silently contemplated his answer, twirling his cane.

“Yes, I do believe you look ready,” he acknowledged. “Everyone here has shared a similar sentiment in their reports.” He nodded, feeling himself beginning to relax.

“That’s good to hear, Lord Third. I’ve been working very hard to get to this point.” 

“I’ve been told,” the Hokage said, still staring at him critically. He felt his skin starting to prickle, his insides starting to constrict.

Please, he begged silently, _please_ pass him. He couldn’t fail, he couldn’t fail, he _couldn’t_ fail. 

He kept his face carefully composed as he felt his hands beginning to sweat. He had to calm down, he had to calm down, he had to calm down.

Breathe.

He was Sasuke Uchiha, and Sasuke Uchiha would not be nervous for this meeting.

The Hokage gave him one last appraising glance, nodded, and turned to leave the room.

All the air left his body. He gripped the edges of his chair, his wet palms sliding against the hard metal. No. No, no, no, _no_ —

The Hokage paused as he reached for the door knob.

“I will see you at the village gates tomorrow.”

The air returned.

He adjusted his posture, flexed his hands, and sat straighter in his chair.

“Yes, Lord Third.”

• • •

**Four Years After, Almost**

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

In all fairness, though, he didn’t know how he expected it to end. Maybe he thought he would live forever under this mask, waking up as Sasuke Uchiha, eating as Sasuke Uchiha, training as Sasuke Uchiha, _being_ Sasuke Uchiha. He had grown comfortable as the boy, had started enjoying the fact that he had adopted Sasuke’s identity as his own. He was someone now, whereas before, he had been absolutely no one. He had friends, and a team, and a _home_ , and he didn’t want to leave them all.

But the kunai being pierced through his ribcage wasn’t really giving him any other choice.

He just wished it all could’ve ended better.

As he fell back into the water, listening to Sakura and Naruto’s screams, he belatedly realized they would never even miss him. They would miss Sasuke.

But he supposed that was okay. After all, he was Sasuke.

Wasn’t he?


	6. The Beginning, Theoretically (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains depictions of violence.

Itachi couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually panicked. He thought it might have been when his brother was six and had come out to the dock with him and Shisui to go swimming, since Itachi specifically remembered almost losing his mind when he looked around at one point and realized he had no idea where Sasuke was. (He had apparently gotten cold and climbed out of the water without telling anyone. Itachi was plagued with nightmares of his brother’s cold, drowned body for weeks.) As a general rule, though, Itachi did not panic. Panicking, after all, never led to anything productive. It clouded a person’s judgement, caused them to make stupid, poorly thought out decisions, and endangered everyone around them.

That being said, Itachi was, at the moment, dangerously close to panicking.

He was trying to stay calm, to fall back on his training and not utterly lose his mind to the swarming, chaotic thoughts pounding through his head. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out, breathe, breathe, _breathe_ , and assess.

They had come for them at night.

His family had been eating dinner at their kitchen table. Sasuke was practically bursting with energy, his hands waving and pieces of food flying from his mouth as he told their parents that his Academy teacher was recommending he take the graduation exam that year. Itachi was sitting beside him, smiling to himself. His brother had told him the news hours earlier, jumping on Itachi the second he walked through the door. He’d begged Itachi not to tell either of their parents, wanting to surprise them with it himself at dinner time.

Itachi understood why his brother had wanted to wait. Dinner was the only time Sasuke held their father’s undivided attention, the man usually too preoccupied with other pressing matters during the rest of the day to give his youngest son the amount of attentiveness he desired. While Itachi knew that their father was busy, he couldn’t help but still be frustrated by the lack of attention he gave Sasuke. It would make Sasuke’s day if Fugaku took just a few minutes to listen to what his son had to say, to maybe tell him that he was proud of him or to keep up the good work, and to try _for once_ to not compare him to Itachi while he was doing so.

Sasuke had been the victim of Itachi’s success since he was born, forced to live up to a standard that few could ever hope to achieve, and he hated it. Itachi couldn’t blame him; he had been a rather peculiar case, after all, rising through the shinobi ranks at an almost unprecedented speed. It was unfair to compare Sasuke to that. His brother was smart and talented in his own right, and his accomplishments deserved to be celebrated without being weighed directly against Itachi’s.

Itachi hoped that tonight would be the night that finally happened. His heart swelled with cautious joy as he watched Fugaku look down at Sasuke with a proud smile on his face, starting to congratulate him for his achievement.

And that was when his neck erupted in blood.

Mikoto let out a petrified scream as her husband’s eyes widened in shock. Fugaku made a terrible gurgling sound as he tried and failed to speak, his eyes still trained on Sasuke as blood bubbled up his throat and spilled out of his mouth. 

Itachi immediately jumped up from the table, Sharingan spiraling. He barely registered Sasuke’s terrified sobs or the _thud_ his father’s body made as it crumpled forward onto the table. All he could focus on were the five chakra signatures surrounding them.

_Camouflage Jutsu_ , he realized numbly.

Mikoto was looking around the room wildly, clearly not able to see the people in the room responsible for Fugaku’s murder. Sasuke meanwhile had thrown himself on Itachi, wrapping his body around his leg and burying his face in the fabric of his pants.

Itachi leaned down slowly and gripped his brother’s shoulder, speaking softly as his gaze rapidly shot between the signatures. “Mother, there are five of them.” They were blocking all of the exits: one was by the back door, three were by the two hallways leading into the room, and one was by the window.

Mikoto stared blankly at her fallen husband. The blood from his wound was oozing across the table, dripping down onto the floor.

“ _Mother_ ,” Itachi pleaded. She turned her head robotically in his direction. Tears were streaming down her face.

“Run,” she whispered, and the chakra signature by the door moved towards them.

Crows flooded the room.

The intruders fell back in surprise, swatting at the birds. Itachi used the confusion to grab his brother and hoist him over his shoulder. He turned to get his mother and watched in wordless horror as she was harshly pulled aside by one of the figures, a kunai poised at her neck. Itachi froze. The crows were beginning to disperse, and he didn’t have the faculties to protect both his brother and mother in a fair fight with the five shinobi.

_”Run,”_ she had said. So Itachi did.

And he hated himself for it.

He dove past the man who had left his position and shoved his shoulder hard into the back door. It exploded open, breaking clean off its hinges, and Itachi ran from the house in a chakra-fueled sprint. He raced through the compound, looking for Shisui or Izumi or _anybody_ who would help him protect his brother.

The only people he found were the ones lying in the street, their limbs twisted at odd angles and blood pooling around them.

Itachi glanced up to see camouflaged figures bounding over the rooftops. He skidded to a halt and ducked under a shop overhang. With that many enemies around, he couldn’t risk a mad dash out of the compound. They would catch him for sure.

He stood there for a few beats, feeling Sasuke’s quiet tears soaking through the back of his shirt and trying to calm his breath. _Think, think, think._

“Itachi.” He felt his heart jump into his throat and whirled around. Two familiar Sharingan peered out at him from the shadows of the building.

“Shisui,” Itachi gasped in relief. His cousin’s eyes squinted in a smile.

“Get your ass in here,” he ordered. Itachi turned to scan the streets outside one last time, ensuring no one had seen them go in. Once he was satisfied, he quietly picked his way into the shop.

Shisui met him halfway, pulling both brothers into a tight hug. He gripped Itachi’s arm, his hand smearing wetly against his skin.

Itachi looked down in alarm, trying to make out his cousin in the darkness. “Are you hurt?” he asked, grabbing at Shisui with his free hand to feel the extent of his injuries. Shisui briskly pulled away from him.

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch,” he murmured. Sasuke shifted against Itachi’s shoulder and sniffled loudly.

“Shisui,” his brother whimpered. Their cousin brushed a hand lightly over Sasuke’s back.

“Hey, kiddo. Don’t worry, okay? Your brother and I are going to get you out of here. Nothing’s going to happen to you, not while we’re both here.” Shisui jabbed Itachi in the stomach with a finger, chuckling softly. “Isn’t that right, ‘tachi?”

That was probably what Itachi admired the most about his cousin. He had a way of putting everyone around him at ease regardless of how dire the situation, of making them believe that they could actually survive whatever hellscape they happened to find themselves in.

He gave Shisui a small smile. “Right.” Shisui’s hand returned to his arm, the blood _squelching_ between his fingers as he tugged Itachi deeper into the shop.

“C’mon, there’s an entrance to the tunnels somewhere in the back. I was about to look for it when I saw you both come in.” Itachi followed his cousin into the darkness, adjusting Sasuke against his shoulder.

“You want to come down?” he asked his brother. He felt Sasuke shake his head resolutely and pull his legs around him tighter. He had started rubbing circles into Sasuke’s back when Shisui halted suddenly and leaned down, starting to search blindly for the loose floor tile. Itachi turned his gaze out towards the street.

“Do you know who they are?” 

“No.” Itachi nodded.

“Do you think anyone else is alive?” Shisui’s movements paused momentarily.

“No.”

“Me neither,” Itachi admitted quietly.

He looked back over his shoulder when he heard Shisui grunt. “Come here and help me with this.” Itachi moved towards the older boy carefully and patted Sasuke on the back.

“I’m going to put you down for a second, okay Sasuke?” He felt Sasuke tense before nodding minutely. Itachi placed the boy on the floor and gave him a quick poke on the forehead.

“Keep an eye on the street, okay?” His brother let out a small hiccup.

“Okay,” he sniveled. Itachi ruffled his hair before stepping over to join his cousin.

“I don’t have enough chakra left to open this myself and still maintain my Sharingan,” he explained as Itachi bent down. “You have to surge your chakra into the floor while you lift the tile from this end.” He guided Itachi’s hands to the corners, hot blood smearing over his knuckles. “You don’t need to give it too much, just enough to release the chakra seals locking it.” Itachi dug his nails under the grooves of the floor as directed and let chakra pulse steadily from his fingertips. The tile popped up easily.

And that was when he heard Sasuke scream.

Itachi twisted around, letting the tile fall back into place. A chakra signature was standing directly behind his brother, holding a sword to his back.

“No one move, and the boy won’t die,” the invisible figure ordered. Itachi felt his breath start to quicken, his eyes painfully trained on the weapon threatening his brother’s life.

“Itachi,” Shisui whispered. “Take Sasuke and run.” 

So Itachi did.

Shisui flickered behind the figure and ripped them away from Sasuke ruthlessly. Itachi ran forward and grabbed his brother, heading straight for the street. He broke out of the darkness of the shop and tore down the road as fast as he could. They were already positioned near the edge of the compound; if he could just get to the forest, he would have the cover necessary to get to the center of the village and get Sasuke somewhere safe and —

At least thirty figures descended on them.

Itachi stood panting and held his brother close as the signatures circled them. He looked around desperately for some kind of escape, only to find that there was none. An odd sort of calm enveloped him.

They weren’t going to get out of here.

He pulled Sasuke’s face in front of him, forcing his brother to look into his Sharingan. “I’m sorry Sasuke,” he choked out, feeling the breath catch in his throat as he stared into his brother’s terrified eyes. “I’m so, so sorry.” He trapped Sasuke in the most powerful genjutsu he could muster, placing him in the most wonderful, beautiful illusion he could come up with. If they were going to die, he would at least ensure that his brother didn’t suffer.

One of the figures moved forward and shed their camouflage. They held out a black cloaked hand, their eyes veiled in a thick black fabric.

“Cooperate and neither of you will be hurt. I swear it.” Itachi looked around at the bodies littering the streets, taking in the blood covered, agonized faces of his dead clan. 

“Why should I believe you?” Itachi asked feebly, hugging Sasuke’s limp body closer to him.

The figure took another step towards them. “Because that’s really your only choice.”

• • •

The intruders made good on their word: neither Itachi nor Sasuke were harmed. Itachi, however, was thoroughly detained before the two boys were brought out of the compound. He swallowed his protests as Sasuke was delicately taken from his arms, allowing the enemy to screen his eyes with a chakra suppressing mask, tie his arms tightly behind his back, and sheath his hands in tight metal cuffs. As he was marched down the street, he figured that this was the best case scenario. The fact that they hadn’t been killed immediately was a good sign; it meant that the enemy wanted them alive. And as long as both he and his brother were alive, there was a chance they could escape.

Itachi didn’t have a clue as to where they might be taking them both. He tried not to ruminate on the possibilities, knowing it would only cause his mind to spiral into a pit of despair and unease. He needed to be patient, to collect information and then act accordingly. Mere conjecture wouldn’t help him at this point.

After what felt like miles of walking, he was brought into a building and thrown unceremoniously into a cold room. He landed painfully against a wrought iron bed frame, the breath leaving his lungs in a _whoosh_ of air as he fell on his back. A door slammed shut and he stilled himself, listening for any other sounds. When he heard nothing, he strained his arms against his constraints, testing to see if they would break. He sighed when he realized the pointlessness of his attempts and tried to relax his muscles against the rough floor.

“Sasuke?” he tried, hoping they had brought his brother to the same room. There was no answer. Itachi sighed again. That didn’t mean Sasuke wasn’t there, necessarily. Itachi had put one hell of a genjutsu on him; he might still just be in stuck in it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take Itachi long to figure out that Sasuke wasn’t with him. He had used his feet to canvass the area, kicking out softly and making a mental map of everything he ran into. The only objects he found were the bed and a tiny chair in the corner. The mattress was thin and uncomfortable, but Itachi decided that it beat sitting on the floor, so he laid himself down on it and waited.

Hours passed before anyone came for him. By that point, the intrusive thoughts had had plenty of time to invade and ruminate in Itachi’s skull. Images of his father’s collapsed, blood soaked body tormented him; he saw his mother’s head being decapitated, saw a sword being shoved through Shisui’s lung, saw the glassy, blank stares of his clan members gazing at him as he ran through the streets, begging him to help them, _please_ help them. And finally, he saw his brother being tortured in a room down the hall, saw black cloaked figures jabbing knives into his skin, ripping at his nails, suffocating him while he screamed and cried and thrashed, begging them to stop. _They’re dead, they’re dead, they’re all dead_.

Itachi was gripped roughly by the arm and hauled out of the room. He could barely move, the weight of his tortured thoughts making his body feel like it was encased in concrete.

They were all dead, and he wasn’t able to save them.

His legs buckled. The person guiding him was forced to catch him under the arms before he made contact with the floor.

Dead. They had screamed and suffered and they were dead, dead, dead and he should be dead, too.

The person dragged him to his feet, but Itachi couldn’t find his footing. They cursed in frustration and dropped him to the ground. He listened to their footsteps recede down the hall as he laid there slumped against the wall, wondering how long it would take before they finally put him out of his misery.

A rough hand suddenly swiped the mask off of his face. Itachi closed his eyes, squinting against the brightness.

“I’m going to give you a chance to save your brother. You’d be wise to take it.” He blinked up at the voice, his vision slowly coming into focus.

He came face to face with the Third Hokage gazing down at him, lazily twirling his cane.

“Well, boy? What are you going to do?”


	7. Six Years After (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains a brief implication of suicidal thoughts.

It was dark. Dark and fucking cold. But, then again, it always was in this damned dimension.

“You’ll have five minutes.” Tobi said.

Sasuke grit his teeth, scowling at the masked man responsible for bringing him to this hellhole. “That’s not enough time,” he bit out, his voice echoing in the empty space.

A shrug. “It’s going to have to be.” Rage warmed in Sasuke’s chest as he glared petulantly at the ugly orange spiral obscuring Tobi’s face.

“Get me more time,” he insisted. “At least fifteen minutes.”

“You can have five.” Sasuke’s chakra flared. He took a breath, allowing the sharp, frigid air to claw its way deep into his lungs.

“I don’t know where it is,” he explained, trying to reign in his temper. “How would you like me to find it, break into it, and get what I need in five minutes?” Tobi remained infuriatingly impassive.

“That’s your concern, not mine. Five minutes. You can take it or leave it.” Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but Tobi swiftly cut him off. “May I remind you that this was _your_ idea? You’re lucky I’m willing to send you at all. Your brother will be convinced by Orochimaru’s information; going into Konoha is a worthless risk to take.”

“I’m not doing this for my _brother_ ,” Sasuke growled out, his Sharingan burning. He dug his heels hard into the stone platform beneath him, wishing there was something in this fuck awful dimension that he could break. “I want to see the files for myself.” Tobi let out a sigh, lazily tipping his head to the side as he looked at Sasuke with exasperation.

“The files may not even be there anymore, you are aware of that, correct? I saw them almost two years ago, and that was before you left the Leaf —“

“Before I _left_ ,” Sasuke repeated, incredulous.

Tobi held up a hand. Sasuke figured the man was rolling his eyes at him beneath his mask, which only made him want to tear it off his face even more. “Poor word choice,” Tobi conceded. “But, regardless, now that you are no longer under the Leaf’s supervision, there is a possibility that Danzo destroyed all of the reports he had on you to protect himself.”

Sasuke regarded the man in front of him with a sneer. “You wouldn’t bother sending me at all if you really thought he destroyed the files.” Tobi was silent for a moment.

“No, I suppose I wouldn’t,” he admitted eventually. “You’re an enemy of Konoha. Despite the risk it poses to him, I’m sure Danzo believes there to be a great deal of value in keeping those reports. He’ll likely think that he can use something in them against you.” Tobi lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Nonetheless, I still don’t condone sending you into Danzo’s quarters to find and analyze them. The risk of you being caught outweighs the payoff.”

“If he intends to use them against me, then isn’t it in my best interest to see what’s in them?” Tobi was already shaking his head.

“What’s in them is irrelevant.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, the rage churning hotly in his body. “ _Irrelevant_?” he snarled. “You think what Danzo did to me is _irrelevant_?”

Tobi waved a flippant hand at him. “I am merely suggesting —“

“ _It is not irrelevant._ ” Sasuke’s head pounded as chakra flooded his eyes. “He _fucking_ — “ A breath. “What he _fucking_ did — “ Tobi abruptly reached out and gripped his face with both hands, leaning down to meet Sasuke’s frenzied gaze.

“Calm down,” he commanded. “You’re going to damage your eyes if you keep surging that much chakra into your Sharingan.” Sasuke glowered at the man. Just to spite him, he allowed his chakra to spike once more, forcing himself to remain expressionless as the prickling pain behind his eyes steadily increased.

Tobi stared at Sasuke intently. “I am on your side,” he reminded him. “You need me to get what you want, and I need you to get what I want. So let’s not do something rash that will jeopardize it for the both of us.” Sasuke stared up at Tobi, letting the building anger and frustration siphon through his muscles and burrow deep into his bones.

Then he closed his eyes and took a very, _very_ deep breath.

“Good,” Tobi commended, moving his hands away from Sasuke’s face to grip his shoulders. Sasuke returned his gaze stoically.

“I’m going to see those files whether you help me or not.” Tobi nodded his assent.

“I’m aware. Which is why I’d rather help you do it now and avoid having to deal with the repercussions of your impulsivity.” Tobi released his hold on Sasuke, taking a step back. “The best I can give you is eight minutes, not one second more. I do not care whether you manage to find the files or not in those eight minutes; once your time is up, I will retrieve you using Kamui and we will return to this dimension. Is that understood?” Sasuke remained silent.

His surroundings began to nauseatingly twist around him as he felt the familiar pull of the space-time jutsu. Tobi’s malformed figure continued speaking to him.

“The last location I have for the files is in the safe under the floorboards near the bottom left post of the bed. Check there first.”

Sasuke belatedly remembered something his mother had always told him about the importance of minding one’s manners. The _thank you_ was fighting its way painfully up the back of Sasuke’s throat as he warped through dimensions, and while he knew his mother would be disappointed in him, he stubbornly pushed it back down. In another life, perhaps, he may have been inclined to show the masked man some sort of gratitude. But, in this life, he couldn’t bring himself to conjure up the effort and engage in such inane pleasantries anymore.

Besides, he was already in Danzo’s quarters. And he only had eight minutes.

• • •

“I want to find my brother.” Tobi sighed.

“Hello to you, too.” Tobi threw a bag in his direction. It landed next to Sasuke with a rustling _thud_. “Here’s lunch.”

Sasuke ignored him. “My brother,” he repeated. Tobi shook his head, crossing his arms.

“Not yet.” 

“You said you would bring me to him after we got the information we needed.” Tobi nodded.

“I did.”

Sasuke scowled. “Then what’s the issue? You’ve kept me in this damned dimension for long enough.”

Tobi uncrossed his arms, an almost playful lilt entering his voice. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll allow you to leave this dimension. But I’m not taking you to your brother.” Sasuke stared at him, trying hard to mask his growing alarm.

“Where am I going, then?”

The smile was clear in Tobi’s voice when he spoke. “The white-haired Sannin is looking for you,” Tobi informed him, electing not to answer the question. Sasuke continued to stare at him.

“He’s _been_ looking for me,” Sasuke carefully stated. Tobi shook his head.

“Yes. But this time, he has left the Leaf to find you himself.” Sasuke thought back, attempting to figure out which part of their plan this information factored into without having to outright ask.

He came up with nothing. Which, given that he knew every damn detail of this plan, led him to conclude that this information wasn’t relevant at all. Tobi was just being an ass.

Sasuke scoffed. “And?”

Tobi ignored his rudeness altogether. “He has a traveling companion that may be of interest to you,” he announced with relish. Sasuke didn’t bother to hide his intrigue.

“Who?”

He could practically hear Tobi’s mouth widen into a face-splitting grin. “The Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails.” Sasuke pondered that.

“That’s awfully convenient.”

“Very,” Tobi agreed. “So convenient that we’re going to change our plans to accommodate it.” He motioned a hand in Sasuke’s direction. “We are going to delay the meeting with your brother. Instead, I am going to send you to the outskirts of the Hidden Waterfall Village. You will intercept them there. The encounter does not need to be violent; the Sannin is merely there to gather information.” Sasuke tilted his head, considering.

“And what is it you want me to do?”

“Find a way to bring the Jinchuriki to your brother and his army. I don’t care how you do it, but it is imperative he is with us when we march on Konoha.” Sasuke stared at the ground, starting the beginnings of a strategy in his head.

“When do I leave?”

Tobi, the bastard, sounded like he was still smiling. “Now.”

• • •

Sasuke didn’t know what Tobi’s real name was.

He had asked him once and gotten ‘Madara Uchiha’ as an answer. When he’d first heard the name, he’d subconsciously harkened back to a story he had been told by his uncle, a sense of giddiness impermissibly forming in his stomach at the mere mention of Madara Uchiha. But then he had remembered the blood and the bodies and the fact that the young, naive child who believed in stories like that had been killed long ago.

The giddiness had frosted over.

He knew that the man he was conspiring with was not Madara Uchiha. Sasuke didn’t particularly care who he really was, though. All that mattered to him was Danzo’s demise, and the fact that this stranger was willing to help him achieve that was good enough for him.

Sasuke wasn’t deluded enough to believe that Tobi was actually helping him out of the kindness of his heart. Tobi had a plan for him; he wouldn’t have bothered finding him if he didn’t. But, at this point, Sasuke was fairly used to that prospect. After all, Danzo had a plan for him, Itachi had a plan for him, Orochimaru had a plan for him; why not add one more name to the list?

Besides, Sasuke had his own plan now.

He’d had years to dream up his revenge. He’d imagined all of the ways he could rip Danzo apart limb by limb while staring at those blinding white walls; all the ways he could slowly destroy every last thing Danzo cared for while lingering in Orochimaru’s muggy hideouts; all the ways he could raze Konohagakure to the ground while inhaling the bitter air of Kamui’s dimension. His thirst for vengeance was a constant itch at the back of his skull, consuming every moment of his being since he’d discovered the truth. He couldn’t eat without thinking about it, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t _breathe_. He would have no peace until it was finally fulfilled.

And then maybe, _maybe_ he could rest.

Because the reality of the situation was that Sasuke was exhausted. He had been exhausted for over a third of his life. He wanted nothing more than to just _stop_ , to finally lay down his weapons and surrender to the chaos that had been building in his mind ever since his family was killed.

But that would mean Danzo won, and Sasuke refused to give the man that satisfaction.

So, he continued to get up every morning. He continued to eat and sleep and breathe and train and plan because he knew Danzo was threatened by his very _existence_ , and that knowledge alone was enough to sustain him for years. He got stronger and smarter and faster because, one day, he knew it would be worth it.

And then, maybe, he would finally find his peace.


	8. Three Years After (II)

Jiraiya couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment his life had completely gone to shit, but he was pretty sure it happened approximately around the time he let Danzo ‘convince’ him there was only one Sasuke Uchiha.

It started off as a fairly innocuous day. Jiraiya finally managed to land some time off, and he decided to spend it finishing up a chapter of his latest book. It had been all planned out: his desk was pushed towards the window, a pot of water was boiling for tea, and his happy ass was cocooned in the warmest, fluffiest robe he owned. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Jiraiya was certain that this would end up being a fantastic, relaxing day.

And, holy shit, was he wrong about that.

Manuscript and pencil in hand, Jiraiya gracelessly plopped himself on the floor with a grin, anxious to return to his passion project after the months of monotonous intelligence reports he’d had to write. He brought the paper close to his face, scrutinizing it closely and rereading the last few lines in an attempt to remind himself exactly where he’d left off. Yes, _yes_ , it was all coming back to him now. His heroine had just caught sight of her smoldering, irresistible ex during her girls’ night out at the local bar. She hated him, she really did, but seeing him again with his hair smoothed back and his shirt hugging tightly against his defined muscles...she couldn’t deny the fiery passion that was ignited inside of her. She still loved the man, damn him, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same way, if thoughts of her ever crossed his mind during the dark nights spent alone in his bed.

Her wishful thoughts and breath were expelled from her body in a harsh _whoosh_ of air as she watched a small girl totter up beside her ex lover in recklessly high heels, wrapping her hands possessively around his bicep.

She put up a shaking hand to her mouth, feeling angry tears beginning to collect in the corners of her eyes. That _asshole_! They had only broken up a few weeks ago! She had spent her time crying into her pillow while he had been out meeting other girls?! Her courage bolstered by the numerous drinks she’d consumed, she brazenly pushed herself away from the table and haughtily made her way over to her ex, fully intending to show him that he’d messed with the wrong girl.

He caught sight of her when she was only a few steps away from him. Watching as her ex’s eyes widened in shock, Jiraiya’s heroine —

Fuck.

Jiraiya felt his face fall as he remembered exactly why he’d failed to finish this chapter the last time he’d sat down to write. Letting out a deep sigh, he placed the pages down and brought his pencil to his mouth, biting down lightly on the end of it. 

Jiraiya was a huge proponent of letting his characters guide the plot of his story. That being said, he’d run into a bit of an obstacle regarding this scene because of that specific philosophy. He had pictured his heroine bravely confronting her ex, boldly whisking him away from the unknown woman and forcing him to confront the mess he had made of their relationship. But the more Jiraiya lived with these characters, the more he felt like his heroine was still far too hurt by her ex to make such a ballsy move at this point in the story. Which was a problem, since that meant he either had to go with it and scrap his outlined plot or rewrite the earlier chapters of his story to build up his character’s confidence. 

Jiraiya sat back and closed his eyes, a crackling pain sparking at his temples. A groan escaped his lips, and he found himself almost missing the straightforwardness of his intelligence reports.

Ironically, that small thought heralded what would become the bane of his entire fucking existence.

A light _tap_ caused him to look up. A messenger hawk with bright, beady eyes was staring at him through the window, a tiny piece of parchment tied around its leg.

Jiraiya gazed at it for a moment as realization dawned on him, his teapot whistling as the water came to a boil. Then he threw his pencil down in frustration.

“Mother _fucker_ —“

• • •

Jiraiya stood in Danzo’s office, his eyes intently trained on the preteen standing in front of him as he tried to figure out what in the ever living hell was happening.

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice, Jiraiya,” Danzo began, writing one last note on the page in front of him before looking up at him with a hollow smile. “You’ve met Sasuke before, correct? He’ll be sitting in on this meeting since the matter concerns him directly.” Jiraiya glanced at Danzo in brief acknowledgment, quickly returning his gaze to the boy as he assessed his situation.

Sasuke Uchiha had been one of Jiraiya’s marks for years. The sheer amount of intelligence he’d collected on the child bordered on absurd: he knew what time he went to sleep, how he liked his eggs cooked, what subjects he preferred to study in school, how far a person could push him on any given topic before he lost his temper, etc. etc. Jiraiya was a self proclaimed expert on all matters involving Sasuke Uchiha, including everything that had happened to him after the Uchiha incident. He had watched them bring the boy from room to room, hideout to hideout, trying to forge him and his Sharingan into a faithful weapon that could be used by the Hidden Leaf Village all while keeping him in the dark regarding the truth of his family’s demise. The plan had always been to rehabilitate him slowly, to build up his devotion to Konohagakure and then eventually bring him back into the village center, both for the Leaf’s best interest and to keep Itachi Uchiha satisfied regarding the treatment of his little brother.

Something must have gone wrong, though, because the person in front of him was clearly not Sasuke Uchiha.

Jiraiya looked back at Danzo, his eyes beginning to narrow. After all his years working with the man, Jiraiya was well aware how much Danzo enjoyed putting his underlings through loyalty tests. It was a sick sort of assessment Jiraiya had watched Danzo develop in order to ensure that the people surrounding him were unquestioningly faithful to him and his ‘cause.’ He would accept nothing less but complete and total devotion, and to make sure he received it, he would often test those he worked with by presenting them with a completely ludicrous, blatantly untrue scenario. If they questioned Danzo, they were immediately regarded as disloyal. If they didn’t, they were viewed, at least for the moment, as a dependable subordinate.

The consequences of failing one of these tests varied depending on the rank of the person concerned; Jiraiya had found that, generally speaking, the lower the rank, the less severe the repercussions. Which meant that, if Jiraiya chose to outright say that he knew the boy in front of him was not Sasuke Uchiha, he could probably expect an assassination attempt within the next few days.

It was no secret, though, that Danzo was a paranoid, dictatorial piece of shit. Jiraiya knew he should have refused to work for the man, stop playing his infuriating little games and furthering his schemes. But the political turmoil that would erupt throughout the continent if a coup for the Hokage’s seat was staged would be, at best, absolutely devastating to the Leaf and, at worst, the inciting incident that started the next Great War. And Danzo, despite all of his faults, wasn’t a bad enough Hokage to risk all of that. Besides, as long as Jiraiya could maintain his position as Danzo’s top intelligence officer, he was reasonably confident in his ability to divert any of Danzo’s more perverse plans.

Of course, Jiraiya was willingly choosing to ignore how much good his self-assurance had done when it came to the Uchiha incident three years ago.

That, however, was firmly in the past. He had to do what was best for his village and his country _now_. Which meant entertaining Danzo’s absurd demands.

Pushing down the bile that was bulging in his throat, Jiraiya gave Danzo a lukewarm smile as he came to terms with the disgusting performance he was about to present. “Yes, I’ve met Sasuke before, Lord Third.” Danzo nodded, a satisfied smile crawling across his face. It almost made Jiraiya sick.

“Fantastic. Let’s begin, then.” Danzo inclined his head ever so slightly towards ‘Sasuke.’ “I’ve decided that the danger posed by Itachi Uchiha towards Sasuke has decreased significantly enough for him to be brought back into the village. Since he has continued his studies outside of Konoha and is sufficiently skilled, I am going to allow him to graduate with his original Academy class and place him on a genin team with Kakashi Hatake. However, I would like you to continue watching him and submitting your daily reports on his activities.” Danzo gave Jiraiya a steely stare. “Is that understood?” 

Jiraiya gave a single nod, realizing the connotation of Danzo’s words. As far as he was to be officially concerned, the boy standing in front of him was the only Sasuke Uchiha.

“Yes, Lord Third,” Jiraiya said, holding back a grimace. “I understand.”

• • •

Jiraiya sat in front of the one-way mirror, idly watching the real Sasuke Uchiha roam around his immaculate white room. Now that he was looking at the boy, he supposed he was beginning to understand why Danzo had gone so far as to have someone impersonate him instead of bringing the actual boy into the village. While everything still seemed to be going according to plan regarding the child, the Uchiha had an unbridled ferocity about him that Jiraiya imagined unnerved Danzo considerably. After all, Sasuke wasn’t malleable or easily persuaded; he was a wild card, impulsive and indignant and utterly unpredictable. And Danzo could never bring himself to hinge his entire operation on a boy like that.

What bothered Jiraiya, though, was that by bringing in a fake Sasuke Uchiha, Danzo had completely eliminated the possibility of the _real_ child ever being brought back into the village. Which made him wonder what Danzo’s plan regarding the boy was now, especially since Danzo still had Itachi working under him. Their deal, as far as Jiraiya understood, was only good so long as Sasuke was protected by the village. And while Danzo had yet to do anything grievously untoward, the appearance of an imposter hardly inspired confidence regarding Sasuke’s future consideration.

Jiraiya was evidently not meant to get involved in that part of Danzo’s plan, however. The meeting, besides being a test of loyalty, had also clearly served to dismiss Jiraiya from the more covert aspects of the Sasuke Uchiha operation. He was now meant to act as if he had no knowledge of the Sasuke Uchiha he was currently watching, instead acting as if the imposter was the one he’d been keeping tabs on all along.

Jiraiya closed his eyes with a soft groan and reached for his back. He dug his fingers into the soft muscle, trying to rub out the knots he felt forming. Shit, he hated this fucking job. He hated Danzo, and he hated Sasuke fucking Uchiha and his damn imposter and his damn older brother and —

Jiraiya’s eyes shot open as he felt a chill run up his spine, his breath tangling in his lungs as he looked up in alarm and met the menacing gaze of two twin Sharingan. 

Jiraiya felt his brows furrow as he stared back at Sasuke. The one-way mirror was specifically designed with the Sharingan in mind, a protective chakra coating layered over it so that the boy wouldn’t be able to see past it with his kekkei genkai. But someone had plainly done it wrong, because Jiraiya was positive that the boy could see him. And looking into those eyes, there was only one clear thought that ran through his head.

Sasuke Uchiha was dangerous.


	9. Aside (II)

**4 Years After, Almost**

Tobi stumbled across the marvel that was Sasuke Uchiha entirely by accident.

He’d always known that Sasuke existed, of course. He just hadn’t been particularly inspired by anything that his presence implied. The boy had been too young when the massacre occurred, barely having developed any desirable skills before Danzo locked him away. Not that the boy didn’t have promise — had he been able to progress another year or two, Tobi may have thought he was worth acquiring. As it stood, though, the boy was only useful insofar as Itachi cared for him. If you had the boy, you had Itachi.

And Tobi wanted Itachi. Badly.

The prodigy’s reputation preceded him in nearly every continent. _The boy with death’s eyes_ , he was oft called. Tobi only wished it was the truth — he’d watched Itachi for years, and he realized quite quickly that for all the genius’ skill and lethality, he had an irritating aversion to killing. Which didn’t entirely fit well with Tobi’s plans.

But then he had remembered Sasuke, the long lost Uchiha locked away in a far off cabin in the woods. Itachi could surely be persuaded if Tobi was able to get his hands on Itachi’s dear little brother; the shinobi’s track record under Danzo all but proved it. All he would have to do is slip by Danzo and his Foundation and take the boy for himself.

He started to monitor the hideout Sasuke was being kept in immediately, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He would have the boy, and then he would have Itachi. If it worked for Danzo, it would surely work for him.

But then — the wrench.

It had been a clear night. The sky was brimming with stars, the forest a deep shadow on the Earth below. Tobi had taken his place along the perimeter of Sasuke’s outpost minutes ago, continuing to watch silently and piece together his plan.

And then they had come.

The leaves on the trees barely rustled as dozens of shinobi descended upon the outpost. Five silently entered the abode. The struggle began shortly thereafter.

Harsh thumps and bangs echoed throughout the forest. Tobi imagined the ninja ruthlessly ripping Sasuke from his slumber, the boy violently lashing out in confusion as he attempted to defend himself. The noises soon ceased and the Uchiha was unceremoniously shoved out of the front door. Tobi watched the boy crash to the ground, watched as his shoulder skid painfully along the rocks.

The assault was clean and methodical — the ninja were trained, used to working with one another. Tobi stiffened, activating his Sharingan as he realized that he was going to have to act quickly if he was going to take the Uchiha brat. He paused as his eyes made out the chakra infused masks every last one of the shinobi was wearing.

_The Foundation._

The technology was not uniquely Danzo’s, but Tobi recognized the chakra pattern of the fabric immediately. And since no Root member would ever disobey Danzo (while the man was deplorable, Tobi would admit he commanded an impressively loyal following), Tobi had to conclude that whatever... _this_ was, it was something Danzo himself had ordered.

Tobi fell deeper into the shadows, cocking his head as he watched the peculiar scene unfold. Sasuke was pinned to the ground by three masked shinobi. A fourth put restraints on him. The boy was thrashing wildly, trying to escape the hold of his captors to no avail. Tobi could hear his skin scraping against the dirt, hear the dull thud of skin as his limbs flailed against anything close by. The boy didn’t cry out a single time.

_A muting jutsu, then, ___Tobi mused.

__Once Sasuke was sufficiently contained, his eyes concealed by a chakra suppressing mask and his hands pressed tightly into metal sheaths, the ninja hauled him to his feet by the back of his shirt and roughly forced him forward and away from the compound. Tobi followed silently behind them, mild alarm beginning to prickle at his skin. The boy had never been ill treated by Danzo since the massacre — the Hokage’s agreement with Itachi depended on it. To see Sasuke being handled in such a way meant only one thing: Itachi had fucked up, and Sasuke was going to pay for it._ _

Tobi continued to trail the group, his interest piqued. If Danzo did something untoward to the boy, if he harmed him in any conceivable way, Itachi wouldn’t stand for it. At that point, it would be far too easy to persuade Itachi to join Tobi’s cause. _To save your brother, of course,_ Tobi would promise. _But if we’re going to save your brother, I’m going to need you to complete just a few small tasks..._

__Tobi felt a smile form on his face as the group came to a sudden halt. Sasuke was still writhing as the shinobi led him to the center of a shadowed clearing. A sharp kick was swiftly delivered to the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees._ _

__Tobi’s smile turned into a grin when one of the shinobi wrenched the boy’s head back and put a sword to his throat._ _

_Kill him,_ Tobi urged, lightheaded as his Sharingan spun rapidly. _Kill him and Itachi is mine._

__

__

__Except they didn’t. Or couldn’t, Tobi should say. Because the old snake Sannin picked that moment to show up and fuck his entire plan._ _

____

• • •

Tobi only found consolation in the fact that Danzo was pissed as well. He might have respected Orochimaru’s maneuver more if he knew that the man was playing the same game he and Danzo were. But no, he didn’t want Sasuke because the boy was the key to controlling Itachi — he wanted Sasuke for Sasuke. Or, more precisely, for his Sharingan. Because the Sannin had some disgusting, insane delusion that he could live forever and learn all of the secrets the world had to offer by shedding his body every few years and putting on a new one.

Which really just fucked up everyone’s plans. Because, now, Itachi was not bound to either Tobi or Danzo. He was a free agent, solely focused on rescuing Sasuke from Orochimaru’s clutches.

Tobi supposed that he could try and kidnap the boy from Orochimaru, then use him the same way Danzo did to command Itachi. Really, though, attempting to get Sasuke back from the snake would involve a great amount of effort, and Tobi wondered whether he could just skip that step entirely and go straight to Itachi, offering the Uchiha revenge against Danzo for attempting to murder his brother. After all, Tobi knew for a fact that Orochimaru had just recently switched bodies, so there was time before Sasuke could be used as his next vessel.

Tobi shook his head, knowing it was a fruitless strategy the second he thought of it. Itachi was motivated by love and compassion, not revenge. The boy would never pause in his quest to save his little brother. Unfortunately, this meant that Tobi still had to try and acquire the young boy. 

So he bid his time and waited.

Orochimaru was protective of the Uchiha, not allowing him out of his compounds alone for any length of time. A year passed, then two. Danzo made no move to try and retrieve Sasuke, and Itachi, surprisingly, kept his distance as well, though Tobi knew he was monitoring the situation closely. Tobi himself only saw Sasuke in flashes, witnessing the stark jumps in his growth on the few occasions the boy was permitted to go outside. Sasuke had left Konoha small and lanky, but now, he was finally growing into his strength. The first notable change was his height, the Uchiha having added inches to his frame the first time Tobi laid eyes on him after he was taken by Orochimaru. Then came his build: the boy had more muscle every time Tobi caught sight of him, the bulk transforming his entire stature. After a few months, he was almost mildly impressed by the Uchiha’s growth. But though the littlest Uchiha appeared to be going through a metamorphosis of sorts under Orochimaru, there was one thing that never seemed to change, much to Tobi’s delight.

His eyes.

Tobi had only seen them briefly during the struggle outside Konoha. But they were wild, wild and violent and hateful.

_The boy with death’s eyes._

That was when he started to believe that Itachi wasn’t his only hope.

• • •

**Six Years After, Almost**

Tobi approached Sasuke in the dead of night. He warped his way into Orochimaru’s hideout, transporting himself silently until he finally found the Uchiha’s dormant chakra signature.

The boy sensed his sudden appearance.

“What do you want?” Sasuke drawled, his back turned to the masked man.

Tobi felt a grin beginning to make its way onto his face.

“I have a proposition for you, Sasuke Uchiha.”


	10. The Beginning, Theoretically (III)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains depictions of violence.

Kakashi was never formally briefed on what happened. Hell, none of them were.

They were summoned in the middle of the night and told to head straight to the Uchiha compound. Kakashi, given his surveillance of the clan’s activities during the past few months, figured it had something to do with the coup the Uchiha were planning. While there had been no obvious signs that the clan was moving forward with their plan any time soon, Kakashi knew that, in reality, the Uchiha could mobilize at any moment. The clan’s greatest assets were their secrecy and stealth, a fact that Danzo had made sure to impress upon all of the ANBU when they began monitoring the clan. The Uchiha were dangerous, every single one of them. And no matter how ordinary a given day seemed, the ANBU must never let their guard down. The fate of the village depended on it.

So, Kakashi and the others dutifully made their way to the outskirts of the village that night, towards the Uchiha compound. Kakashi had briefed his team beforehand sparingly, making sure they were prepared to use any means necessary to bring a stop to the coup. The Uchiha could not be allowed to succeed under any circumstance, and if violence was necessary to bring about that end, then as ANBU they were obligated to carry it out.

Even in hindsight, Kakashi could never have imagined that the violence preceded their arrival entirely.

Kakashi remembered the eerie silence that encased the compound as dozens of masked ANBU broke through the tree line and positioned themselves on the roofs. The compound was completely dark; not even a single house light shone through the windows. Kakashi had felt his heart drop, had thought that the Uchiha had somehow predicted their arrival and that the ANBU were about to be on the receiving end of the clan’s attack. ANBU or not, the Uchiha were formidable opponents, and Kakashi was mostly dreading having the entire clan’s strength unleashed against him. He lifted his hand in the air, motioning his team to hold until he had assessed the situation.

The ANBU stood silent and sentinel. Kakashi’s eyes canvassed the compound, his Sharingan burning painfully. He saw nothing — no movement, no signatures.

“Is it genjutsu?” Kakashi heard a quiet voice crackle over his radio. He shook his head. The Sharingan would have been able to see through the illusion the second he stepped into it. Even if he was not skilled enough to break out of it, Kakashi should have at least been _aware_ that he was under one.

He shifted, his legs starting to burn from crouching so long. It made no sense. Where was everyone?

A small gasp rang out over the radio. “The streets, the _streets_ , holy shit —“ Kakashi’s eyes shot down to the ground in alarm. He grabbed a kunai from his holster, his muscles tending as he prepared to bound down and fight whatever hidden enemy awaited him.

He saw nothing.

Squinting, Kakashi tried to make out anything in the darkness. If there was someone there, he should’ve been able to _see_ —

He shifted and saw the dim moonlight glint off a pair of eyes. 

_There._ Kakashi repositioned his hand in the air and threw it down harshly, motioning for the ANBU to descend upon the compound. They couldn’t be caught off guard here — they’d have to attack first, then deal with the fallout. The Hokage wouldn’t have mobilized them if it wasn’t urgent, so Kakashi felt rather secure in his evaluation as he lunged from the roof and aimed his kunai at the pair of eyes. Kakashi felt himself grimace in morbid satisfaction as the weapon sunk through the soft flesh of the right socket. He used all his strength to bury the knife deep into the Uchiha’s severed head, knowing that what he was doing was absolutely necessary.

It took Kakashi a moment to register the horrifying nature of the situation. He was alone on the street, none of the ANBU having followed his order to come down. The head’s dull left eye stared past him. Her bangs stuck to her forehead in a bloody, grimy mess, the right side of her skull almost entirely crushed from the ferocity of Kakashi’s attack. Kakashi felt his body begin to tremble as he looked down at the piece of spine that protruded from her neck. He glanced over to see that her body was lying almost a meter away.

The girl couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

Kakashi stood up in a rush, forgetting himself entirely and looking around in a panic. The faces of mangled bodies stared up at him. It felt like they were daring him to do something, anything.

The breath left Kakashi’s lungs in a painful gasp. _Dead_ , he realized numbly. _Dead, dead, all of them dead_. The fact that he’d been willing to bring extraordinary violence upon these people only moments before felt irrelevant. This was not how this was supposed to go — the Uchiha weren’t meant to be _slaughtered_. The ANBU were only meant to protect the village, they were only trying to defend their home, to make sure — the Uchiha were going to put the entire country at risk, they were going to upend the entire order of the village and for _what_ , for — the Hokage _ordered_ them to, had told them to come here and —

Kakashi couldn’t focus on anything around him, couldn’t get enough air into his lungs at all. Visions of his father’s dead, glassy eyes flashed before him; the warm, sticky feeling of Rin’s blood welled in between his fingers; the sick crunch of Obito’s bones deafened him.

A harsh voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. “Awful, isn’t it?” Kakashi whipped around. The Third Hokage stood in the middle of the shadowed street, twirling his cane. Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The Hokage looked up in vague disinterest, then motioned for the rest of the ANBU to gather around him.

Dozens of bodies blurred before Kakashi’s eyes as they landed on the ground. Kakashi felt like he was going to be sick.

The Hokage’s voice boomed in the silence of the compound. “The incident is currently under investigation, but the preliminary inspection suggests that Itachi Uchiha was behind this massacre. His current whereabouts are unknown.” Kakashi’s head pounded. He tried desperately to assign a face to the name, going through the mental profiles he’d made of all the Uchiha he’d been assigned to watch. Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. The boy genius. The Uchiha prodigy.

All he could see was the child’s severed head and the unfocused stare of her gray eye.

Danzo continued unerringly. “You are to gather all the bodies and search for any survivors. Anyone who is a known Sharingan user is to be marked and set aside. Anyone whose status regarding the Sharingan is unknown is to be marked and set aside. The Sharingan is a precious resource of the village, and it is of the utmost importance that the eye’s secrets are kept. Medics will be brought in to analyze the bodies upon the completion of your task —“ Kakashi felt himself losing focus. He struggled to keep track of Danzo’s words, struggled to make sense of anything that was happening around him.

When Danzo dismissed them all, Kakashi started to make his way down the street. His Sharingan was spinning rapidly, making his entire body feel feverish. Kakashi didn’t know how long or how far he walked. The only thing he remembered was stopping in front of the doors of a house.

A dim, steady chakra signature flickered inside.

• • •

They only found one survivor: a young boy named Sasuke. He was Itachi’s younger brother. Kakashi was apparently the one who found him, though he barely remembered happening upon the child. The boy was determined to be in critical condition and was immediately brought to an undisclosed location to be treated.

The events of that night came to the ANBU squad in bits and pieces, but none of them ever got the full story. What happened varied wildly from source to source, people throwing around wild accusations that no one could quite determine the validity of. The only thing that seemed certain was that Itachi had been behind the whole thing.

No one knew where Itachi was now. Rumor had it he’d joined an outlaw group called the Akatsuki. Kakashi wasn’t sure whether he believed that, but, in the end, it wasn’t his business anymore. The ANBU had been ordered to conduct no further investigation regarding the Uchiha incident. So, Kakashi had decided to mind his own business and try his best to forget about it, regardless of how unhinged he had become because of it.

Most of the other ANBU did the same, but a few couldn’t go forward without finding out more answers. Aoi, in particular, could hardly seem to think about anything else. He brought the matter up incessantly, analyzing the incident from every angle in a desperate attempt to make sense of it.

Kakashi had been on the receiving end of only one of Aoi’s rants. Kakashi had tried his best to avoid the man, but Aoi was persistent in his attempt to make sure every ANBU on the squad had heard his conspiracies at least once. Hence how he’d ended up cornered in the locker room one early, Monday morning.

“It just doesn’t make _sense_ ,” Aoi complained, lounging against the wall. “Why would Itachi kill the entire clan? And out of nowhere, too? I mean, we were watching these people for _months_ , how did none of us see this coming —“

“I don’t know, Aoi, and I really don’t care,” Kakashi muttered, grabbing his uniform from his locker as fast as he could so he could change and leave. He had a meeting with the Hokage in fifteen minutes, and he’d be damned if he was late because Aoi wanted to ramble like a madman.

Aoi continued to talk, either not hearing Kakashi or choosing to ignore him. “But really, how could _one_ kid kill the entire Uchiha clan? I get that he was a genius and all, but I just don’t see how it’s possible for one single person to do that. He had to have had help, right? There had to be at least one other person involved, it just doesn’t make sense any other way. I took a look at the bodies while we were collecting them and the way each person was killed varies significantly. Like, it doesn’t look like one person did it all. I mean, I get that he was rushed and couldn’t kill them all _exactly_ the same way, but some of these people were ruthlessly slaughtered while others were attacked in very subtle ways. I just don’t see — “

“Aoi.” Kakashi leveled a glare at the man. “I’m done talking about this. It’s none of our business anymore, so drop it.” Aoi scoffed.

“But aren’t you _curious_ — “ Kakashi slammed his locker shut and stalked out of the room.

“No.”

• • •

“Thank you for joining me today, Kakashi,” Danzo began, sitting back in his chair. Kakashi nodded, taking his mask off as a sign of respect to the man.

“It’s my pleasure, Lord Third.”

Danzo nodded, twirling his cane lazily. “Yes, yes, of course. Now, I surely don’t want to waste a great deal of your time, so I’ll get right to the point. I wanted to ask your opinion on your comrades.”

Kakashi kept his face carefully composed. “My comrades?”

“Yes, yes, just one in particular, actually. I believe I was told his name is Aoi.”

Unbidden, a chill ran up Kakashi’s spine. “He’s a fine ninja. He completes his missions in a timely fashion, never exceeding the ordered — “

“Do you find that he is too involved in his assignments?” Kakashi blinked.

“Sir?”

Danzo sighed, seeming annoyed at having to repeat himself. “Do you find that he takes too much of a personal interest in the missions he partakes in?”

Kakashi fought the urge to fidget, his hand growing clammy against the smooth coldness of his mask.

“Well, sir, he may be more inclined to ask questions than the average ANBU, but I assure you —“

Danzo held up a hand, giving Kakashi an unpleasant smile. “Thank you, Kakashi, that’s all I needed to know. You are dismissed.” Kakashi, unsure of what else to do, returned the mask to his face and left the office.

Eight days later, Aoi set out on a mission and never came back. He was decapitated, if the reports were to be believed. Kakashi’s resignation from ANBU a few weeks later was, of course, entirely unrelated.


End file.
